Dragon Age: Inquisition - Ghosts of the Past
by Kalenath Shok-Tan
Summary: Thedas has many tales of adventure. The premise of this particular tale is that the exiled Dwarven noble in Origins did NOT find the Grey Wardens in the Deep Roads. She ALSO did not die as expected. Oh no. This is a fanfiction. I own none of the rights to any Dragon Age works. There WILL be spoilers for Dragon Age:Origins, Dragon Age 2 and Dragon Age Inquisition.
1. Chapter 1

**Problems**

Reda had problems.

Oh, did she _ever_ have problems.

It was supposed to have been a routine patrol. Go out, find darkspawn, kill them. Simple. Routine. The problem had been that there hadn't _been_ any darkspawn in the assigned patrol area. In hindsight, that should have been an immediate giveaway that problems would follow. She should have expected _something_. She hadn't and the rest of the members of her ten soldier squad patrol had paid the price for her hubris. She hoped at least one of the others had managed to get away, but she doubted it. This was no darkspawn attack.

This had been a meticulously planned and executed ambush and she had walked right into it. She hadn't seen a thing before the ballista bolt had torn out of the dark cross tunnel to kill three of her squad. Then the storm of crossbow bolts. Then the dark figures, too precise to be darkspawn. Their armor and weapons matched hers. One look and she had known. Her past had caught up with her yet again. She had ordered the pitiful remnants of her squad to retreat and then leapt off another way. Of course, the assailants had followed her. She was their target. As she ran, she cursed herself.

Had she gone soft? Was she succumbing to some kind of illness? Or something _worse_?

That made her shudder a bit as she ran. She had seen others fall. No one seemed to know why some could wade through darkspawn blood all day long with no ill effects and others would look at it and catch the corruption. It was what it was. Maybe it was the lyrium or stone dust in her blood? She was a dwarf after all and she knew her kind's resilience all too well after eleven years of fighting. Maybe if she had managed to find the Grey Wardens when she had looked? No. Time to ruminate on the past _after_ she saved her skin.

"There!" A voice behind her called out and she poured on even more speed, twisting this way and that to avoid the bolts she knew were coming. Two, three, four bolts flew by her as she evaded as hard as she could. To stand and fight against so many assassins was madness. They had come prepared to slaughter an entire _squad_. Unless she found some kind of-

 _ **Whang**_

She hit the wall and rolled, pain flaring in her side. She knew without looking that one of the bolts that had been hissing by her had found it's mark. But she was far from finished.

"Go to the Stone, traitor." The voice said from behind her. The voice gasped as she spun, her sword coming out in a perfectly timed arc.

There was no honor in this kind of fight. There was only survival. Her opponent had full plate armor, a shield and an axe. She had her sword. But said sword had never failed her in the years since she had been handed it. The day she had died in the eyes of all of her peers. She could only see the one assassin. But there had to be others. Probably closing in on her flanks to try to blindside her. She had no shield. It didn't _matter_.

The other moved forward, confident that his shield and heavier armor gave him an advantage and to an extent, it did. But Reda had been fighting for _years_. The _only_ reward for a job well done in Reda's experience was a harder job. She had clawed up through the ranks of her new home and worked herself and her soldiers into a finely tuned fighting machine. Darkspawn relied on simple overwhelming numbers in most situations, but she and her squad had occasionally run into darkspawn that looked different. Who acted different. Those fights had always been brutal. Those fights were why Reda had _stopped_ carrying a shield.

The assassin was so focused on Reda's sword that he never saw the tiny crossbow that thrummed in her off hand. Her aim was as true as ever. Even assassins had to _see_ and the eyeslits of the helm were easy to pick out. The toxin was just as potent on _her_ kind as it was on darkspawn. The assassin fell without a sound and Reda took a moment to look down at herself. Her armor had a neat little hole punched in it and a small pointed thing stuck out of her side. The point of a crossbow bolt. It had punched clean through her plate and through her. She wasn't bleeding that she could see, but she probably was inside. She reloaded her crossbow as she started off again.

She would not give her brother the satisfaction of seeing her corpse. If she had to die, she wanted to vanish. Let him look over his shoulder for the rest of his life wondering if she was going to appear. Her steps were slower now, and she didn't recognize any of what she saw. She had fled far outside her usual area of operation. That was both good and bad. Good in that her people, if any had survived the ambush, had a better chance to get away as she led the assassins away from them. Bad in that she had no idea where she was or where she was going. Going back meant running into the assassins. So forward was her only choice.

There had been a time when she had wanted nothing more than to go back and behead her brother with a dull table knife. Frankly? She still wanted to. Just not as much. Her father had been right. Tradition had its place, but her brother by all accounts had managed to do more in his short time in charge than many others had in centuries. He _was_ working to put the dwarven people forward and by all accounts -even disregarding blatant propaganda- it was _working_.

She _still_ hated him. There was not a day that went by that she did not curse her brother. Did not curse her own ignorance. Her blindness. She hadn't wanted to believe and that had cost her everything. She had known how the other nobles had played. How they had schemed. How they had worked to kill off rivals in totally deniable fashions. But in her wildest dreams, she had never imagined that her own family could fall prey to such. She had loved them all. Stone take them, she had loved them all...

Reda jerked awake, cursing herself. She had dozed off. But her feet were still moving. She was still alive. For now anyway. She had to get away from the assassins. They would not stop until they had her corpse or they were all dead. It had been five years since the last group, but the pattern was the same. That time, it had only been her and a friend against five of them in an alley. It hadn't even been close to a fair fight. She and her friend and trounced the lot of them. Her mouth moved in a small smile as she thought of her friend. And odder pair no one had likely ever seen, but she would put Shayle of House Cadash up against _anyone_. She likely wouldn't see Shayle again.

Meeting Shayle had been...odd. Then again, Reda wasn't a normal 'dwarf' any more than any other was. Reda had been fascinated by a set of odd crystals that she had seen in the middle of one of her training patrols in her previous life. She had never seen anything like them. She had carefully collected them and taken them to the Shapers. The _Shapers_ had never seen anything like them. They were not dangerous according to all her sources and they were pretty. So, she had collected them. She had possessed several dozen different varieties before her exile.

It had been... Well, she couldn't say _how_ long she had been alone. With no means of keeping time -after all, who _wastes_ such on an exile sent to die in the Deep Roads?- it had all blurred. She had tried to find the Grey Wardens as her guard had said. But she had failed. She had wandered the Deep Roads, scavenging, looting, going hungry more often than not. She never -quite- got hungry enough to try to eat darkspawn. She knew the tales warning against that.

Then her life had changed and-

Reda went still as a sound reached her ears. Behind her, _well_ behind her, the scuff of an armored boot on stone. She flattened to the wall and considered her options. If she tried to go back, she was dead. If she tried to fight with a crossbow bolt in her, even glancing as the wound seemed to be, she was dead. Then her eyes lit on something different. Another tunnel. But _this_ one...

The markings were different. Not even many _dwarves_ could read the ancient trail markers that dotted the Deep Roads. She had made it a point to learn how. It had saved her life and the lives of her companions more than once. This wasn't a common marking and she took a moment to grasp it's meaning. When she _did_ , it was all she could do not to gasp. 'Surface Access'

The Surface.

Reda wasn't sure about this. She had heard stories about the surface of course. Most had. But most of those stories were the kind you told around fires after a hard day's fighting, usually with a healthy swig of ale to help the story along. The whole _concept_ seemed alien to her. She had lived her whole life -both of them- surrounded by the Stone. To have _nothing_ overhead... This 'sky' thing...

She heard the scuff again. It was closer, that boot and the wearer was obviously trying to be sneaky. Hard to do in full plate. Then another, and another. Her pursuer was not alone.

She had no choice. She darted for the cross tunnel and nothing hit her, but she continued quickly. Perhaps they would turn back? Oh who was she kidding? If these were, as she surmised, her brother's assassin's, then if they came back without her body, then their pain would last _years_. They would pursue her until they died or she did. Simple as that.

The way sloped up far steeper than any natural cavern or any Deep Road she had ever seen. Her side hurt like fire, but she ignored it. But then it came to an end. She stared around wildly, but the road just...stopped. It didn't look as if it had caved in. It just _ended_. Had they not completed the access? She shook her head and sighed, focusing herself to die fighting. It was no less than expected of a daughter of House Aeducan. She had expected to die within a week of leaving Orzammar. She hadn't. As she checked her blade, her eyes caught on an oddity nearby. Something out of place. She stared at the wall, unsure of what had caught her eye. Then she had it. A door. Partially blocked by rubble!

She moved to the door and heaved a sigh of relief as she saw the rubble wasn't piled against the door. It had been piled in _front_ of it. To hide it? That spoke of someone _using_ it. When Reda tried the door, it opened far easier than an ancient Deep Roads door should have. Carta used such doors to smuggle goods in and out if the Deep Roads. If _they_ found her here, the _best_ she could hope for was a fight to the death. At worst? They would sell her still living body to her brother. Reda shuddered at that. Some of the stories out of Orzammar... She fingered the small pouch at her side that held her crossbow bolts with their toxic heads. A small stab and she would join the Stone. But she wasn't ready for that just yet.

She opened the door and heaved a silent sigh of relief as she saw, not a force of Carta, or even a guard, but a ladder. It went up into the darkness and she gave another inaudible sigh as she reached for the rungs.

Every muscle hurt when Reda made it to the top of the ladder. She had no idea how long she had been climbing. A quick glance about showed no body at all around, so she just stood and heaved great gulps of air into lungs that had been severely strained by the workout. The crossbow bolt jerked as she breathed, but she ignored it. Then she paused and grimaced. She laid the flat of her sword against the end of the bolt by touch and then, with a mighty yank, pulled the blade until it was flat to her back. This forced the bolt through her. The pain was incredible and she felt faint, but she focused past it and reached for the bolt to pull it free. She threw it aside and took great breaths again, working past her pain as her armsmasters had taught her.

She wanted nothing more than to sit down. To go to sleep and sleep for a good long time. But she knew if she did, she would likely die. Either her wound would kill her or more likely, the assassins would track her down and slaughter her in her sleep.

Then her heart gave a lurch as she heard shouts and screams. Then the hiss and roar of darkspawn. She growled, a sound eerily akin to the guttural sounds that the bestial subhuman monsters made and stalked forward, sword in hand. Her eyes went huge as she rounded a corner and saw the battle. The female dwarf wielded two full size swords as easily as Reda hefted her single blade. And her _armor!_ A warrior of the Legion of the Dead? Here? Behind the warrior, two small forms cowered. _Children_?

Reda did not hesitate. She had seen the Legion, fought beside them more than once. This woman sought death. But she was protecting the two small forms and doing a damned fine job of it too. A dozen hurlocks and genlocks carpeted the ground in front of the dancing Legionnaire. And nearby, Reda could see larger shadows moving in a tunnel that came in from an angle. More darkspawn! She did not hesitate. The small orb she pulled from her belt sputtered a little as she hit the striker, but then it caught and she threw it overhand.

She had never figured out _what_ was in those tiny red orbs. They were _expensive_. But they were worth _every_ silver piece she had paid for them. The tiny orb flew into the tunnel and exploded with the force of a mage's fireball. Or course, mages rarely had their fire _stick_ to things after and putting this fire out was very, very hard.

"Oops!" The Legionnaire shouted as she ran back. "Should have warned you! I _mined_ -"

The blast from the tunnel was the last thing Reda saw for some time.

 **A few minutes later**

"Is she all right?" The young Dalish elf asked timidly as Sigrun worked. She wasn't very good with people she did not know.

"She will be okay." Sigrun gave herself a shake as she finished bandaging the wounds on her sort of rescuer. "But I can't stay now that the tunnel has been sealed. Thank you for showing me where the entrance was, but next time? _Run_ when I tell you to please."

"Yes, Grey Warden." The Dalish boy said with a wince as he moved his arm carefully. The bandage that Sigrun had put on his wound would hold him until he got back to his clan's keeper. Who would likely take _both_ of them to task for going out in dangerous times to 'be together'.

"If I hadn't been here, both of you would be dead." Sigrun finished her work. She pulled Reda's helmet off and stared. "By the _Stone_..."

"Warden?" The girl asked, concerned.

Sigrun just stared at a face she had seen more than once in Orzammar. But things had changed. A lot. She was no longer the street rat she had been. This... was no longer the princess of House Aeducan. Her face was scarred by years of hard fighting. Her throat had been torn by a jagged blade, darkspawn unless Sigrun's expert eye was badly mistaken. It was unlikely she would be able to talk.

"She is hurt." Sigrun said after a moment. "Would your clan care for her if I ask?"

"Probably." The boy said a bit dubiously. "But they would need a reason."

"I can give reasons. I can even give money and what little else I have to tend her, knowledge and resources both." Sigrun said as she hefted the other onto her back. The unconscious dwarf weighed a ton, but less than some of her fellow Legionnaires had. "But only to your Keeper. Come on. We need to get out of here."

"Is she a Warden?" The girl asked as she helped her lover walk.

"Uh, no." Sigrun said with a sigh. "But she is special. She will be needed I bet. With the sky torn open and the humans all going crazy? Oh yes. She will be needed."

 **At a well hidden Dalish camp**

" _What_ did you say?" Keeper Renia was a kind and compassionate female elf of middle years. She knew enough to be very worried in these dark and troubled times since the Breach had torn the sky asunder.

"Her name was Sereda Aeducan." Sigrun said quietly. "She was middle child of the king of Orzammar eleven years ago when she was exiled for the murder of her brother. A murder that has since been pinned on King Behlen Aeducan. Most thought she died in the Deep Roads. She didn't."

"And... you want us to hide her." The Keeper was obviously trying hard to be polite. Sigrun nodded.

"I know this places you in a difficult position, Keeper." Sigrun said quietly. "I feel my Calling coming at long last. I cannot stay. If I could, I would. But..."

"It hasn't been that long." The Keeper shook her head. "Has it?"

"Ten years." Sigrun shrugged. "It is different for every Warden." She shook her head. "I have to go while I can. It is my duty. But... She was a good sort. A good soldier by all accounts. The kind we need now that the world has gone nuts."

"Who will seek her?" The Keeper asked after a moment's thought.

"I don't know." Sigrun admitted. "But I found a crossbow bolt of dwarven make where she came up that matches the hole in her armor. I wouldn't put it past her brother to send assassins after her." The Keeper paled but Sigrun was quick to reassure her. "They likely will not know the surface any better than I did. Tend her until she wakes, that is all I ask. She will likely leave as soon as she does."

"I know your kind are tough, Warden Sigrun..." Keeper Renia said with a scowl as she looked to where Reda lay silent and still. "But she will not be able to move for a bit."

"Betcha gold piece?" Sigrun asked with a smirk. The Keeper shook her head and Sigrun nodded. "She will. She knows who hunts her, Keeper. She always was honorable. She won't put your people in danger is she can help it. But you saw her throat."

"I know." The Keeper said sadly. "There is nothing we can do."

"She will never be able to speak again."


	2. Chapter 2

**Matters of state**

It was a fine, sunny day in Denerim. The capital city of Ferelden had seen a lot of change in the ten years since the Blight had been ended. Some of that change had been good, other parts of it were less so. But some things would never change.

"Dwarven Crafts, Fine Dwarven Crafts, direct from Orzammar! You won't find better!"

Gorim Saelachad never thought to be a merchant while growing up. His life had been service to the nobles of Orzammar. His life had taken a number of turns since then, but on the whole? He wouldn't change much about how things had turned out. Oh, he had regrets. Most did. But he also had things to look forward to.

"Papa?" A small voice from behind him had him turning just as he was about to start his spiel again. A familiar small from stood behind him, a large bundle in his hands. "You forgot your lunch again."

"Oh, Edrin." Gorim smiled widely as he took the bundle of food from his son and then knelt down to give the boy a hug. Edrin had been one of the _good_ changes. When he had been forced to leave Orzammar, the last thing he might have expected was to fall in love and have a child with a mate he adored. But it had happened. Even with all of the bad things -the Blight hitting Denerim being high on that list- looking at his son made most of them fall to insignificance. "You and your mother spoil me. Don't you have class?"

"On my way now, Papa." Edrin said with a smile as he returned the hug. "I promised Mama that I would make sure you got your lunch. She says that the market sellers don't make proper food."

This last was half statement, half question. Then again, a ten year old had far fewer problems eating things than any adult would. He _liked_ much of what was sold in the market. Gorim had to smile at that. But then he stiffened as he saw something he had hoped never to see. Five heavily armored forms had just entered the market. Familiar armored forms. Familiar armor that was rarely, if ever seen outside of Orzammar. Royal guard.

"Papa?" Edrin asked, sensing his father's sudden tension. Gorim gave himself a shake and forced himself to smile at his son.

"Run along to class, Edrin." Gorim said quietly, carefully not staring that the five armored forms as they swept through the busy market, obviously searching for something. He had a sinking feeling _what_. "And if you see Lieutenant Kylon near the Chantry, please let him know I need to talk to him." He was careful to keep any hint of fear out of his voice. He wasn't afraid for himself. Not now. Not after all of this time. But his mate? His son? Oh yes. Edrin stared at his father, uncomprehending and Gorim gave his son a smack on the rump. "Off with you, boy. Study well."

Edrin darted off. He was clearly curious, but he was also well trained for being nine years old. A father's command -and that had been a command- was to be obeyed. Gorim looked after his son with a smile for just a moment and then his expression hardened. He tested his leg carefully as the five armored forms strode closer to his stall. It still hurt and would for the rest of his life, but he wasn't as impaired as he had been. He had some very good friends now and some of _them_ knew some very fine healers. There had been a time when he had despaired of ever being able to move again, let alone fight. Of course, these had come looking for a fight, so he would oblige them. Just... not the fight they had been hoping for. His hand slid under the table showcasing his wares to touch the hilt of his mace. That weapon had served him well, before the Blight and during. Now? It might again.

"Dwarven Crafts, Fine Dwarven Crafts, direct from Orzammar! You won't find better!"

As expected, as soon as his voice rang out gain, all five of the armored forms turned to look at him. Inside he sneered. What kind of fools all looked at their target at such a time? But then his estimation changed. Four of them turned to quarter the area. The other moved towards him. He could feel the disdain in the other's body language even before the armored form closed the gap.

"Where is the shield?" The voice was familiar and Gorim had to fight to keep from flinching or snarling. It was so very hard.

"I have a lot of shields for sale." Gorim replied evenly, his hands in plain view now. But it would be the act of moments to grasp the mace and draw it. Against a fully armored warrior, he had little chance clad as he was in merchant finery. He found that he did not _care_ very much. "Would you care to browse them?"

"Don't play games with me, _surfacer!_ " The other said in a quiet, dangerous tone. His hand went to his sword, but Gorim just sighed. "What?"

"This isn't Orzammar." Gorim said quietly. "You may be able to kill me, you may not. But even the _scum_ you serve wouldn't appreciate the repercussions of a bloodbath in the _middle_ of a _marketplace_." Gorim smiled and only a fool would call it friendly. " _Especially_ in the middle of the _capital_ of a neighboring power. I know you Stone-blinded fools generally don't think such things are important, so if you want to cause a diplomatic incident that your Carta sucking boss likely won't appreciate,..." He shrugged. "...be my guest." His right hand slid under the table.

"Where is the shield?" The armored dwarf demanded. "The shield of Aeducan."

"Oh." Gorim fought to stay calm. Now? They were worrying about that _now_ of all times? A massive hole in the sky. The human Divine dead. Demons pouring out all over the landscape and they were worried about a _relic_? It so figured. Priorities. " _That_ shield."

"We know you have it." The other snarled. "Hand it over."

"If I did, I wouldn't." Gorim replied evenly. "I had it, true. It was given to me in trust by Edrin Aeducan. A _true_ king." He couldn't resist the dig, even knowing how dangerous it was to provoke this dwarf. To his surprise, the other did not draw his sword.

"The king of Orzammar demands the shield." The armored form proclaimed. "Surrender it. Now."

"Even if I had it, I would not." Gorim repeated calmly. "Because the _current_ king of Orzammar is a Carta sucking pile of nug droppings and you _may_ quote me on that." The other had a hand on his sword now and Gorim fought hard not to sigh. This one had been good. Once. Now?

"Don't lie to me, surfacer!" The other snapped. "Give me the shield."

"Lie?" Gorim asked, to all appearances incredulous. Then he laughed. "Oh... Frandlin Ivo... you told a _funny!_ " He was laughing hard, but did not miss the other armored forms looking at him before turning back to watch the area. He also did not miss an armored human striding towards his stall. Good boy, Edrin. The armored dwarf seemed confused by that and Gorim snickered. "You wouldn't know the _truth_ if it _bit_ you after so long with your head shoved up Behlen's _rear end_."

"You insult the rightful king." Frandlin Ivo's voice was flat now.

" _Your_ rightful king." Gorim replied. "Not _mine_. Or was I mistaken when I was told, 'Go away and never come back'?" Exile was rarely forgiven. Very, very rarely. "Your lies cost me my duty. They cost me my place. They cost me a better friend than _you_ will ever find. But no matter _what_ you or your _master_..." He put just the right touch of derision in that word. "...might _desire_ in his or your fondest _wet dreams_ , you _cannot_ cost me my _honor_ , bootlicker. I was given a command, by a _true_ king. Not a _brat_."

As expected, Frandlin Ivo drew his sword. Gorim was actually a bit impressed. It was only so long that most dwarves would take such insults. If Oghren had been insulted in such a way, whoever dared to do would be on the ground -maybe in _pieces_ \- before the second line passed their lips. He wasn't sure what Ivo planned to do with his sword, but he was quick to back away and -coincidentally of course- place himself at just the right angle to shield his back from any assailant. He had no shield, but neither did Ivo and his mace was in hand, glowing with fell energies. The other's armor would not offer much protection from _that_.

"Hold!" The stern voice silenced the marketplace for a moment as the human guardsman who had been approaching stepped forward. "Sheathe your weapons! This is a _market_ , not a _battlefield_!" Ivo did not move. Neither did Gorim. The other four armored dwarves had shifted away from Ivo. None had drawn weapons and Gorim's eyes narrowed. The human's voice warmed. "Merchant Saelac? Is there a problem?"

"I do not know, Lieutenant Kylon." Gorim said quiet, watching Ivo's chest and shoulders. If the other attacked, those would presage the blow. Not by much, but enough to save Gorim's life. He hoped. "These seem to think I have something that I do not. They seem to think I have the shield of Aeducan."

"The what?" The guard commander for the market district asked, confused. "A _shield_?" He asked the armored dwarf incredulously. "You would _die_ for a shield?"

"Die?" Ivo asked, not looking away from Gorim who sighed.

"Denerim survived the _Blight_. Look around, bootlicker." Gorim lowered his mace. A calculated risk. Ivo stared at him and then slowly turned his head to the right and left. What he saw had him stiffening. The other four dwarves also went still. All _around_ the marketplace, guards had appeared. Most held loaded crossbows. Full plate or no, it would _hurt_. All of the regular marketplace hubbub hushed as people cowered away from the imminent danger. "You have cost me profits today, you little-." He broke off as the guard commander waved at him. "Lieutenant."

"Merchant Saelac, please." Lieutenant Kylon said with a sigh. " _Was_ this shield stolen?"

"Yes!" Ivo snapped as Gorim said. "No."

"Okay." Kylon shook his head. "Then this is a case for the magistrate. Sheathe your weapon, Ser Dwarf. _Now_." This last was not friendly in the slightest.

"My orders are from the king of Orzammar." Ivo said in a surly tone. He _did_ sheathe his sword. He wasn't completely stupid.

"I don't _have_ the shield anymore, moron." Gorim retorted. "And even if I did? I wouldn't hand such a relic to one such as you serve."

"Right or wrong, what he did was best for Orzammar." Ivo said quietly as another guardsman hurried up and the lieutenant started speaking to him quickly. "You... haven't seen... Gorim, we have pushed the darkspawn back. We have reclaimed thaigs lost for _centuries_."

"And that was worth milady's life." Gorim said softly, his mace going back to its hiding place.

"We know she is not dead, Gorim." Ivo said flatly.

"The _assassins_ were a good clue." Gorim retorted just as flatly. Ivo jerked and Gorim actually _shouted_ at him. "What? You didn't _know_? Your kind and generous and wonderful _master_ didn't tell you that his people have been trying to _kill_ her for the last five years?" Ivo actually backed up a step and Gorim pressed his advantage. "She has more honor in her left foot than your entire _kingdom_ does. She is angry, yes. She was abused by your so wonderful _master_. And then... having Harrowmont killed like that..."

Behlen may have started his campaign with the promise to be lenient or more traditional or whatever. But everyone had gotten the hint quickly when his competitor for the kingship had been beheaded in the street like a common criminal. Harrowmont had been a long time friend of Edrin Aeducan and his daughter had loved the crusty old councilor as much as she had loved her father. Losing both so quickly in succession... Gorim wondered at times if his lady was still sane.

"She was convicted." Ivo's words sounded weak.

"And she _obeyed_. She has stayed in the Deep Roads ever since. Even when what convicted her was a- What is the human term, Lieutenant?" Gorim asked Kylon who was watching all this silently. "'Qunari court?'" Having the assembly set up to convict his lady without her even able to speak in her own defense... that had taken some doing on Behlen's part.

"From what little I know of them, Qunari do _not_ actually act that way." Kylon replied calmly. "But yes. A mockery of justice to be sure." He shook his head. "This is not something that we are going to be able to settle, even with a magistrate."

"I have my orders." Ivo declared. "From king Behlen Aeducan."

"And I have _mine_." Gorim retorted. From king _Edrin_ Aeducan." _Steel_ might have bent under the older dwarf's tone.

"Oh dear." Kylon swallowed hard, but then froze as a horn sounded. "Um..."

Whatever else he was going to say was tabled as a dozen humans in full armor entered the market. Behind them, two very recognizable people were walking. Both wore ornate armor and both were apparently arguing. They ignored most of the people in the market bowing. None of the guards relaxed.

"-and _no_ , husband. I will _not_ let them lock me up in my rooms." Queen Anora was in fine form as she walked beside her husband. "I had enough of that during the Blight. I wanted to see the market today so I _will_. Say 'Yes, dear'." Gorim had to smirk at the look on the face of Ferelden's monarch. It was clear who was the dominant force _off_ the battlefield and it _wasn't_ Alistair.

"Yes, dear." King Alistair was shaking his head. "We were _not_ 'locking you up'. You know how I feel about _that_. We were worried. _I_ am worried."

"You may think you are sweet." Anora's tone promised that the argument was far from over. "But it was annoying. I am not sick."

"I know that." Alistair paused, taking in the scene. "Uh, have we come at bad time... er... Sergeant Kylon, was it?" Anora paused whatever she was going to say and stared around as well. Her eyes went wide as she saw Gorim, Ivo and the lieutenant.

"I do not think there is a _good_ time for such things, Your Majesty." The Lieutenant said with a tiny shrug. "And It is lieutenant now "He grimaced. "They gave me a promotion over my strenuous objections."

"A reward for a job well done is usually a promotion and harder job." Alistair agreed. "What is going on?"

"I think this is actually more a question of state than a police matter, Your Majesty." Kylon said with a nod. Alistair looked at him and the guardsman shrugged. "You know Merchant Saelac, I believe." Alistair and Anora both smiled at Gorim who bowed. "Merchant?"

"I was exiled, Your Majesties." Gorim said quietly. The shame of the past returned and his head bowed a little. "Right, wrong or indifferent, I was convicted and sentenced. I did as the law demanded." Ivo made a noise, but both of the monarchs looked at him and he shut up. Smart of him. "Before I left, the king at the time gave me a relic of his house in the hopes that I would give it to his daughter who was also exiled."

"A long story there." Alistair said quietly. Gorim nodded.

"And _not_ one for public consumption, Your Majesty. Politics are rarely clean, especially in Orzammar." Gorim said softly. Alistair made a face, but nodded. Anora jus looked at him. "I held the relic and safeguarded it until my lady asked for it. When she did and I confirmed it was her, I gave it to her."

"You _what_?" Ivo nearly exploded. More than one of the guards surrounding the area raised their weapons and he subsided.

"Like I said, I no longer have it." Gorim said with a shrug. "Feel free to search if you wish." Ivo perked up at that, but both Alistair and Anora shook their heads.

"You are right, lieutenant." Alistair said after a glance at Anora who nodded. "This _is_ a matter of state. Merchant Saelac has proven himself trustworthy time and again." He looked at Ivo who did not move. "I do not think you can accomplish your orders here."

" _If_ he is telling the truth." Ivo replied his tone a hair from disrespectful.

"I do not know you." Alistair's tone was cool now. "And I have known many of your people. Perhaps _too_ many. Good, bad and indifferent, just like most groups of thinking beings." He shook his head. "If Merchant Gorim Saelac says that he does not have your relic, then I for one am inclined to believe him. He looked at Anora who nodded. "He fought hard and well during the Blight. He has been a forerunner in our reconstruction. You will not find what you seek here, Ser Dwarf." This was a dismissal.

"This isn't over, _surfacer_." Ivo said with a snarl, only to freeze as Anora made a tiny gesture. One of her guards drew her sword. Anora's second gesture stilled the guard, but no one dared breathe hard. That sword was glowing, fine work Gorim noticed.

" _Think_ before you speak again, Ser Dwarf." Anora's voice was cold. "If you threaten one of _our_ subjects, we may get annoyed. And if _anything_ happens to his family, we _will_ get annoyed. Are we _clear_?" She did threat very well, that queen. Ivo nodded and turned away. He and his compatriots left the market without a word, but a squad of guards followed them. Gorim had always liked Anora. Now? He felt a swell of gratitude for this human.

Anora shook her head and her guard's sword vanished back into its sheathe.

"Merchant..." Anora said with a smile. "I find I am in need of something special and I believe that you may have what I need or may know someone who does."

"How may I serve, Your Majesty?" Gorim kept his eyes on the royals, but did see Kylon smile before returning to wherever he lurked these days.

"I understand Orzammar smiths can make just about anything." Anora pursed her lips. "And I need a bassinet."

"A-" Gorim felt his entire being shake as the queen smiled at him. "I see."

"It is early days." Anora said with a smile that turned partly into a frown. "And _some_ _people_..." She glared at Alistair who looked suitably abashed. "Seem to think that confining me would be better."

"Your Majesty..." Gorim said delicately. "I have no right to speak of domestic concerns. If I _did_ think that, _my_ wife would put me right as soon as I got home." Anora actually chuckled and Alistair smiled. "May I offer my congratulations?"

"They are appreciated." Anora smiled and it was as if the sun had come out in the market. People were speaking in hushed tone, but they were speaking again. "There is... one question, Merchant. Will this problem with the shield spill into our lands?" Gorim looked away. "Merchant?"

"Sereda Aeducan swore to die in the Deep Roads, Your Majesty." Gorim said sadly.

"She keeps her word."


	3. Chapter 3

**Not expected**

Reda woke up suddenly and completely. The last thing she remembered was throwing the globe of Antivan Fire into a tunnel filled with darkspawn. Then... nothing. She wasn't lying on stone. Whatever was underneath her was far more comfortable than her usual sleeping arrangements. It felt like a bed. It brought back memories, memories that she shoved back where they belonged. The past. She had to deal with the 'Now'.

Where was she? She heard sounds she had no names for. Murmurs of people talking, but try as she might, she could not make out what was said. Some of it sounded as if it was in another language. She cracked her eyes and stilled. She was lying on a bed in a small room. The walls were not stone. She wasn't sure _what_ they were made of. The garment she wore-

She went still. Where was her armor? Her weapons? Was she a prisoner? Did she...?

"Mi'lady." A soft voice from nearby had Reda flinching but when she turned the person speaking was not anyone she might have expected. She stared. She couldn't help it. The female looked nothing like any dwarf woman that Reda had ever seen. She was thin and less muscular for one. For another, the female's ears came to sharp points. Was this an elf? Reda had never met an elf that she knew of. Humans, yes. Elves, no. The woman smiled and raised empty hands. "We tended your wounds, no more. You are not a prisoner."

Reda jerked, confused. Her eyes never left the other as her hands slid down her side until they reached where the crossbow bolt had been and found a bulge that she could feel through the garment. A dressing of some kind? She felt her confusion rise even further as she realized that a bundle of things lay beside her. Her armor and weapons! She slid a slow hand to her armor and touched it. Everything seemed as it should, which made no sense at _all_.

"My name is Renia." The other said calmly. "I am Keeper for this clan. We were asked to tend your wounds and we have. You are free to go as soon as you are mobile."

Reda shook her head. She needed to communicate. She patted her belt's pouches and smiled a little as she found what she sought. It had cost a lot to have the thing enchanted, but it was worth every gold piece. She hadn't had a lot to spend her pay on, so she had used what she had on things that she needed. She could not carry a lot, but she could carry _some_ things and this wasn't large. It was the size of her hand. The Keeper stared as Reda swiped her hand across the small flat thing and then inhaled as it started to glow dimly blue. Reda held up a hand and wrote quickly on the tiny stone tablet. Having it made had cost her most of a year's pay, but it was worth it. Oh yes. It was so very worth it when people did not understand her language of gestures.

'Where am I?' Reda wrote in the common trade language, then showed the writing to the Keeper who stared, amazed. Then the woman's face lit with a smile.

"You are on the surface." Renia said with a nod. "I couldn't figure out what that was. Most of your gear we left alone. Especially when we realized the bolts for your crossbow were poisoned." Reda tensed but Renia waved quickly. "We wanted to see if anything had been broken. You _were_ caught in an explosion after all." Reda looked at her and Renia slumped a bit. "And we were curious. It is not every day we meet a Durgenlin." Reda schooled her features into immobility and Renia sighed. "For the discourtesy, I apologize. But we had to be sure. If one of those red things you threw explodes _inside_ our aravel..." She shuddered. "Wood burns very well even after enchanting."

'You were not there.' Reda wrote after a moment. 'So someone told you what happened. What happened to the children? The legionnaire?'

"The young ones are being disciplined." Renia scowled. "I don't mind them getting to know each other better. They are promised to each other. But there are _better_ places for such than an ancient dwarven access to the Deep Roads." Reda had to smile a little at that. The elf shook her head. "That access had been sealed." Reda went still at that. How was she to get _back_? The Keeper seemed to understand. "For now, I would recommend rest. You took a hard knock to the skull and even dwarven skulls can break if hit hard enough."

'I need to get back.' Reda wrote carefully. 'I am sworn.'

"I see." Renia said with a sigh. "None of us will stop you. I know of no other ways into the Deep Roads in this area. I could ask other clans, but I assume you will not want to wait that long." Reda shook her head and Renia smiled sadly. "Figured."

'I am bound by an oath.' Reda wrote slowly. 'What happened was bad and partly my fault.'

"No, it wasn't." Renia replied evenly. Reda looked at her and the Keeper smiled sadly. "We try to keep abreast of things. The Fifth Blight was a pretty big deal for a lot of people." Reda nodded soberly. "I managed to tease some information from the Grey Warden who brought you to us and I knew other pieces."

'I need to get back.' Reda repeated the line and then underscored it.

"As a healer, I would recommend that you spend at least a day resting." The Keeper said quietly. "But I was advised that you would not." Reda looked at her and the Keeper shrugged. "Head injuries can be tricky, especially when we cannot use magic to treat said injuries."

Reda nodded slowly. She shared her kind's resistance to magic. It was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that darkspawn Emissaries had rotten luck trying to kill dwarves with magic at times. A curse in that anyone who tried to use magic to heal was often flat out of luck. Potions, salves and dressings would work, somewhat. Magic healing? Nope. Reda tried to sit up and her head spun.

'How long was I asleep?' Reda asked when she was sure she would keep her lunch down while writing.

"A little more than a day." The Keeper said with a frown. "Dizzy?" Reda nodded shallowly and the Keeper made a face. "We have some broth if you think you can keep it down."

'Why are you acting like this?' Reda asked in writing. 'From what little I know of your kind, you do not welcome outsiders.' The Keeper would not meet her eyes and Reda went still. 'I see.' She wrote.

She packed her tablet back into her pouch and reached for her sword. They wanted something from her. Whatever it was, she was in no mood to give it. Renia backed away, her staff now in hand, but her posture was... worried, not scared. More tired and resigned than defensive.

"No." Renia pleaded swiftly. "It isn't like that. We haven't told anyone you are here."

Reda ignored her, ignored the throbbing and dizziness to sit up. She pulled the bundle to herself and started checking her things. As she had suspected, all of them had been touched. It didn't look like anything had been tampered with,. But she would do a thorough check after she was away from here.

"We are not your enemies!" Renia begged, but Reda ignored her.

Pain, weakness, dizziness, none of that mattered. All that mattered was Reda's oath. She pulled her armor on, removing and discarding the wound dressing despite the Keeper's hiss of disapproval. She rose to shaking feet and started pulling her armor on, relaxing as it closed about her, as comforting as a second skin. She had come a long way from the day she had left Orzammar, clad only in a prison smock and with only a sword for defense. Her armor had started as whatever she could find or scavenge in the Deep Roads, but then she had done better for herself. It had cost. Oh yes, it had cost and not just in coin. But she was what she was.

"Please." Keeper Renia pleaded. "We meant no harm. The Warden asked us to hide you. We have. You are still hurt. The bolt did not hit any vital organs, but it did cause bleeding. You lost a lot of blood."

Reda continued to ignore the Keeper as she finished settling her gear about her person. She gave herself a shake to make sure her gear was all in place and stood in front of the Keeper, staring at the elf who visibly wilted.

"She warned me." Renia said sadly. "I didn't _believe_ her. So hurt and unable to trust. How long have you been alone?" The sorrow in the old elf's words was palpable but Reda did not move, did not take her eyes from the Keeper's and Renia slumped further. "If you believe nothing else I say, please believe this. We are not your enemies."

Reda unbent just a little and reached for her tablet again.

'I am sworn to die in the Deep Roads.' Reda wrote in a firm hand. 'My word is all I have now.'

"You are wrong." Renia said softly. The dwarf looked at her and the elf smiled a bit forlornly. "Why did you help the Grey Warden? At the entrance?"

'I fight darkspawn.' Reda wrote, not understanding this twist to the conversation. 'It is what I do.'

"And that is _all_ you are?" The Keeper pressed quietly. Reda nodded and the elf gave a deep sigh. "I have no right to speak to your life choices. You are not of the People nor of my clan. But if there is one thing I do understand about your people, you know what a debt is." Reda jerked, stung by that, but the Keeper continued. "And no, you owe us nothing. _We_ owe _you_."

'What?' Reda demanded in writing.

"It took me some time to see _why_ the Grey Warden left you with us." Renia shook her head ruefully. "We have been...lax in some regards recently. Some of our clan's hunters have been ranging further afield in these times of strife and I have not been as dutiful in keeping them in line as I might have been. I only have second hand reports, since none of them dare tell me to my face, but I am pretty sure a couple of them have been harassing human caravans. Because they _can_." The last was hard.

'Your clan. Your problems.' Reda wrote. 'What is that to me?'

"I think the Grey Warden wanted to remind us that whether we are elven, or human or dwarf, we are all children of this world. Whatever we believe, whatever we may call home, we all live in this world." Renia shook her head and stepped aside from a small door that Reda hadn't seen. "No one will hinder you. You helped save the lives of two of our clan and aided a Grey Warden in the process, curbing a threat we knew nothing about. The darkspawn would have attacked us. We would defend ourselves of course. But we would have lost some. To darkspawn, to wounds, to the corruption." She shook her head. "You did us a service. This is poor recompense for what we owe you."

'You owe me _nothing_.' Reda protested. 'Fighting darkspawn is what I _do_."

"Come now." Renia smiled. No, that was a grin. "You know what honor is. Do you say that your honor is more important than ours?'

'To me, yes.' Reda said simply. 'This is all I am. All I will be. You have a family. You have a future. I do not.'

"So you rush to meet your fate." Renia shook her head. "You will be needed now, Sereda Au-" She broke off as Reda growled.

'MY NAME IS _REDA_!' The dwarf slapped her tablet and it shut off.

She stowed it and stepped forward. The Keeper opened the door and stepped out. Reda followed, her anger fanned, but then she went still and she saw what lay outside. The wagon was tiny! The room she had been in... It must have been a cargo area. Half a dozen other wagons were spaced around a clearing. White furred horned animals were standing about, some bending down to eat the grass at their feet. At least a dozen forms similar to the Keeper stood looking at Reda, some armed and armored, some not. Some seemed wary, but none seemed hostile. All that paled as she looked up. And up. And _up_. She felt the blood drain from her face and stayed on her feet through sheer force of will.

It was... nothing.

Reda had heard the stories of course. Most of the tales told of the odd thing called 'Sky' were wildly outlandish. The very _concept_ of something that _wasn't there_ hanging over everyone had always seemed to be a stroke of fancy to her. It was... She couldn't quite... She jerked as she saw something that didn't fit with the rest. Most of the 'Sky' was blue-ish with hints of white here and there. But one bit of it was not. Over a set of mountains in the far distance, she could see something that didn't fit. It was bright green and was swirling. She couldn't say how it didn't fir. Just that it didn't. The Stone rumbled to her and she felt comforted. Even here, in this odd place, she was known. Her hand found her pouch without her eyes and she pulled her tablet out. She wrote, not taking her eyes from the green thing in the distance.

'What is that?'

"Shemlen call it 'The Breach'." Renia's voice was subdued now. "From what little we have been able to gather, it is a hole from our world into the world of spirits." Reda shook her head and Renia sighed. "We do not know what it is, where it came from or why. But one thing _is_ clear. Many shemlen think this bespeaks the end of the world. Looking at that? It is hard to disagree." She didn't bother to hide the fear in her voice and Reda understood completely.

The Stone rumbled to Reda, sharing her disquiet. No one else had ever felt the stone as she did. At least, no one she knew had or would talk about it.

'I know nothing of the surface or spirits.' Reda wrote, still eying the swirling green energy.

"I know." The Keeper said quietly. "And we know less of your ways. But the only access that we knew of to the Deep Roads has been sealed. The Grey Warden's explosives brought down half the mountain." Reda turned to look at the Keeper and Renia nodded. "You may be stuck here for the moment, but you are not alone. You saved the lives of two of our clan and you are not a human who has hounded us. It will not be easy, but we could use your help."

'I cannot stay here.' Reda wrote. 'Danger follows after me.'

"So it was told to us, Reda." The Keeper said quietly. "But at the very least, you need time to recover. A week?"

'Will your clan accept an outsider here for so long?' Reda wrote.

"She asks if we will allow her time to rest and recover. What says my clan?" The Keeper waved around and Reda's eyes went large as every single elf in the area nodded to her. "The Grey Warden asking us to ward you would have gained you time. But this..." She waved to the sky. "From what little Warden Sigrun said, you are a fell warrior. We will aid your search for another entrance to the Deep Roads. All we ask is your aid as well while you remain."

Reda looked around the silent camp and then up at the sky again.

 _Won't this be fun...?_

 **Somewhere...deeper**

Sigrun cursed herself again. But only inside her head. She had gotten complacent. That rarely ended well. At least, it wasn't darkspawn that had her but that was small consolation,

She had felt the rumbles as her times charges had brought down the mountain, sealing off the darkspawn tunnels once more. It would take time for the blighted monsters to dig their way out again. They would. But it would take some time. She had been more worried about the possibility of cave ins than enemy attack. She hadn't sensed any darkspawn so she hadn't been worried as she had exited the access way that had once led to the surface. She hadn't even seen the enemy that had struck her from behind. Before she had recovered her senses, she had been disarmed and bound. Gagged and blindfolded. But her troubles were apparently only starting. There were five that she could hear, but only two were speaking.

"-and I don't care if you say it isn't our target. It has to be. She went up. You heard the rumble. Cave fell in. She came down!" This was a male. Stern, but not -quite in charge.

"Stone blind fool." This was a female. "Our target wasn't in legion armor with _Grey Warden_ markings!" A snort came from somewhere near Sigrun and she was calculating angle, possibilities. "If you had looked to see if it was the same female before attacking, none of this would have happened. But no. You had to hit her."

"Oh, just slit her throat and be done with it!" Another voice, thin and reedy piped up. "Dasher won't be happy anyway. Less now."

Dasher. Carta dwarves. Assassins, probably after Sereda. That meant Sigrun's lifespan was measured in minutes, maybe seconds.

"We lost our mark." The female said savagely. "We hit them as we were told. But no one said she was that fast. No one. And whatever the hell she used on Hars." Sigrun had to smile that that. Sereda was not someone to take lightly. "What do you say, Warden?" A toe nudged Sigrun. "Do we kill you now or later?"

 ** _"It does not wish to do that."_** The words were...wrong. But Sigrun smiled wider. She knew the voice. **_"It wishes to_** ** _run_** ** _now and never look back."_**

What happened next was entirely predictable. Screams. Yells of fear and pain. Then sudden silence. Sigrun was relaxed as odd feeling fingers touched her bindings and snapped them like thread. She pulled the thing off her eyes and smiled at her rescuer as she pulled the nasty tasting rag from her mouth.

"Hello Shayle."


	4. Chapter 4

**Attacks**

"How did you find me?"

Sigrun was searching the bodies that littered the access way. Not that there was much left of them. Only a fool angered Shayle of House Cadash and only a fool with a _death wish_ did so in person. The gore splattered rocky form that was her acquaintance gave a motion that might have been a shrug.

"This one was not looking for it." Sigrun paused and looked at the golem who suddenly seemed a bit sheepish. Hard to do for an animate statue, but she managed. "Oops. Sorry. I keep falling into the old patterns of speech when I get stressed. I was looking for Reda. The remnants of her squad came back with injured. They said that it had been an ambush. Dwarf assassins, not darkspawn. So the response was swift. A large force was sent out. I went with them. They are still combing the areas closer, I knew she would flee and lead the assassins away from her soldiers. So... I came this way. I found one body and followed the signs. No one argued with me."

"Meaning you just went without asking and no one dared to quarrel." Sigrun said with a grin that got wider as Shayle did not respond. But the golem's next words had that grin fading.

"Reda is my friend." Shayle said simply. "She didn't have to be. She _chose_ to be."

"I am sorry, Shayle." Sigrun said with a deep sigh. "I know how prejudiced dwarves can be." As stupid as anyone might be to try to be prejudiced against a form _taller_ than any human or elf -let alone a dwarf-, far _stronger_ than any of those and made of _living stone_? _Well_... No one had ever _said_ prejudice was _smart_.

"These were the last from this group." Shayle looked around with a sound that was probably meant as a derisive sniff. "Carta."

"Yeah." Sigrun sighed and gave up. Shayle did not leave normally much left behind when she was done. Sometimes it was just red paste, especially when any kind of birds were involved. She had a _thing_ about birds. This time, the bodies were mostly intact, but Sigrun was having little luck. Not that Carta assassins generally carried much anyway. A couple of junk weapons and some gold pieces that hadn't been smashed into unrecoverable bits were the lot. "Never thought I might feel sorry for them, but sheesh... Last few years have not been kind to the Carta. Behlen hasn't either. Not condoning what they do, but..." She shrugged. "Survival is kind of important."

"Reda came here." Shayle said into the silence that fell. "Where is she?"

"Safe for the moment." Sigrun braced herself for an argument. "She is on the surface and I sealed the access way to keep darkspawn from rising." To her surprise, Shayle just nodded. "What?"

"The surface may be safer than the Deep Roads for the moment." Shayle said quietly. "Word is that the king of Orzammar has been trying to gain access to Kal-Sharok."

"I wish him luck." Sigrun said with a snort. "He will _need_ it. They _define_ paranoid and close-minded even more than most Orzammar nobles. Can't _blame_ them all that much after all that happened."

"That is true." Shayle sounded unconcerned. "There are undercurrents though. The king of Orzammar is worried about his hold on the throne. Too many nobles and others have been distressed by his actions recently and the military is barely holding onto the gains it has acquired."

"Hadn't heard that." Sigrun admitted as she rose and stretched, working the kinks out. "Then again, not really my problem." Shayle looked at her and Sigrun shrugged. "It is my time, Shayle."

"It has only been ten years, Warden." The golem's tone oddly respectful. "Is that...normal?" It paused as Sigrun scoffed.

"Ah, Shayle..." The dwarven warden said with a fond smile. "The words 'normal' and 'Grey Warden' do _not_ belong in the same sentence. You know this."

"That is true." The golem admitted. "But so soon? It feels off. And the Stone is singing oddly." Sigrun stiffened and the golem nodded. "Might your 'Calling' thing be related to such?"

"I don't know." Sigrun admitted. "I have been on the surface a long time. Maybe... I should listen to the Stone for a bit. I have been waiting for my Calling, but there is always so much to do."

"You do have friends, Warden Sigrun." Shayle said firmly. "While I do not fully understand your Order's oaths and obligations, I do understand duty." Sigrun paused and the golem made noise of anger. "The Orzammar Shapers are trying to recreate the Anvil of the Void."

"What are they? _Nuts?_ " Sigrun demanded louder than she had planned. Then she snorted. "Duh. They are _nobles_ , of course they are. Not a lick of common sense among the Stone blinded fools."

"They have attempted to capture this one." Shayle's voice became clipped and stone like again as her emotions rose. "This one protests of course." Sigrun actually shuddered at that. She knew how the golem would 'protest' such. It made the gore spattered Deep Road around her seem _clean_.

" _Your_ control rod was destroyed." Sigrun knew the stories as well as any other. "What can they hope to gain but a gory death?" Shayle gave herself a shake.

"I do not know." Shayle said quietly. "But if the access above is sealed..." Sigrun nodded and Shayle seemed to slump. "...then I cannot help Reda for now. Is she safe?"

"For now." Sigrun paused as she heard a familiar sound in the distance and her skull started to pulse with a familiar feeling. "Safer than we are."

"The others will need to hear what you know." The golem promised as it seemed to glow with an eerie blue flame that was nothing like real fire. "They will want to know of Reda."

"Then, I guess we better get to them."

Sigrun drew her swords. A matched set, those swords, a pair made for her at the orders of the Warden Commander of Amaranthine. Fine dwarven work mixed with the best of surface enchantments. Only the best for one of the champions of Amaranthine against the darkspawn. Even if one of said champions had later gone mad and started the chaos that now consumed the world, Sigrun still knew her duty. Anders had once been a friend, then a nut. Then he had vanished only to appear again in Kirkwall of all places and start a conflict that shattered the world. She wasn't sure _how_ she felt about that.

Then the first darkspawn came into view and she smiled grimly under her helmet. She knew how she felt about _that_.

She strode back to war with a friend in the body of a golem beside her.

 **The Surface**

In many ways, it was very different from anything Reda had done before. In others? It was the same.

In the Deep Roads, she had hunted her prey for years. She had studied them, analyzed their tactics and behaviors, then planned her moves with meticulous skill. She had always been a hunter. Even when she had been a Princess of Orzammar, middle child of a king, she had always enjoyed hunting. Not the silly nug hunts that some of the nobility might get up to where the servants did all of the work, but actual for real 'down on her belly in the damp mud of the cave' _hunting_. Hunting spiders larger than _she_ was for the toxins they secreted. Hunting deepstalker packs and lairs for leather and occasional scavenge. Hunting darkspawn every chance she got. Hunting anything and _everything_. Said experience had served her well. It was all that had kept her alive after being exiled. She knew how to stalk. She knew how to be patient and _when_ to be. That had made her a frightening force in the Deep Roads. Before she had been 'recruited', she had been given the moniker 'Tunnel Ghost'. Because all that anyone had found of her had been darkspawn bodies. _Lots_ of darkspawn bodies. Then her world had turned upside down again and all hell had broken loose.

Reda did not move. Did not make any noise at all as her target walked into her kill zone. She took careful aim and waited. She wasn't as good with a bow as she was with her crossbow, bows were not that great in tight quarters after all. But she knew what to do with it. She waited as her quarry walked through the area she had designated, looking here and there, but obviously not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

She smiled as a veritable _storm_ of arrows flew from the surrounding area. She couldn't see the Dalish hunters and knew that by comparison, she was a loud and clumsy thing trying to negotiate their own chosen environment. But she tried. Not all of them were as accepting as the Keeper had been. Indeed, some of the Dalish might give any noble in Orzammar a run for their money in sheer arrogance. Thankfully, those were a minority. She was not accepted, not quite. But she _was_ tolerated. And this? This was her first real test in this new world she had been tossed into.

The huge bear roared and stared around wildly, looking for the archers that continued to poke it. But it saw nothing. Reda could see nothing of the hunters so for a moment, she hoped the huge beast would turn and flee as some of the hunters said it might. Some wanted the pelt, others just wanted the monster gone from their hunting grounds. From what they had said, it was _three times_ the size of a regular one.

Reda had nocked her third arrow and was looking for a weak spot on the huge form when it happened. The bear was moving away from the stings that kept poking it. She could see red spots here and there where arrows had made it through the insanely thick hide. None of hers and as she had been warned, the back and side fur was far too thick for most arrows to have a chance. Many hung limp from the bear's fur, caught in the matted hair and thick hide. The only true weak spots on the monster were the eyes and the mouth. All of which were small and moved a lot as the beast moved. Against something that size, she would have preferred to use poison. But the Dalish had balked at that. Hard to blame them actually. Poison was a chancy tool at times, often as dangerous to the user as it was to the target. Add to that the fact that the clan of Dalish would use the entire Great Bear carcass and it put poison of any kind firmly _off_ the table. Most poisons that would have a chance against something that size would persist in the meat and make it impossible to eat.

Then it happened. The bear paused in its roaring and almost seemed _confused_. Reda did not hesitate as its head swung away from her, sniffing. Her arrow flew with three others to hit the eye of the great beast. She wasn't sure which arrow killed it, but any of them could have. She had another arrow nocked instantly, just in case.

Sometimes, Reda wondered exactly how some quivers and bolt cases had been enchanted so that they never ran out of ammunition. She knew that not every archer or crossbowman had such advantages. She had seen dwarven soldiers run out of bolts for their crossbows before, but rarely, very rarely. The Dalish quivers never seemed to empty at all. Her _own_ crossbow only held seven bolts total. One in the groove and six in a cunningly designed box set on its bottom. Then again, she had _another_ crossbow that had been set up specifically for her. It had been built from a modern rendition of an ancient design and it had proven its usefulness over and over. But it was big, clunky and hard to carry in cramped tunnels, so she normally carried it disassembled in her pack. It never needed ammunition either, but that was probably the madness or genius of the dwarf who had made it for her. She had to keep it oiled and every so often, refill a small reservoir of lyrium. But no more. She had no idea why the wheels and sprockets made the bolts fly as far and as accurately as they did. It was hard to crank the thing, and it wasn't always practical but it was well worth it on occasion. Nothing else she had seen in the way of personal armaments could drop an _Ogre_ with one shot. Now if only it could fire faster. Something ask that mad Davri dwarf someday.

Reda wasn't sure why she hadn't moved. The brush rustled a bit as the Dalish moved up to check the bear. Another arrow thudded into the still form and it didn't so much as shake. A cry of victory went up around the clearing, but Reda did not join in. Something...

Her eyes went huge as a form simply exuded from the ground near the bear. Her arrow was in flight as soon as she saw it. It hit the huge red form and incinerated on impact. The four other arrows that hit it did the same.

"Demon!" The cry went up and the Dalish fled.

Reda stayed where she was, arrow after arrow flying from her bow to slam into the fiery form that was chasing the fleeing Dalish hunters. She could not hope to match their speed, so she had to be accurate instead. Some sixth sense warned her and she ducked and rolled as a bolt of greeenish energy tore through where she had been. Before it could act again, another arrow was in flight. This one had greater effect, tearing through the wispy form. It erupted into a flash of greenish energy, vanishing back to wherever it had come from. She saw one of the other hunters beckoning her and hurried her steps towards the elven female.

" _Demons_ now?" The hunter -her name was Lin'oria- shuddered a bit as she eyed the underbrush. "I guess shemlen and darkspawn were not enough." Reda shrugged, keeping her own eyes on the surrounding area. "Dang, I forget you can't talk. You hurt?" Reda shook her head. "Good. Keeper would skin me if I let you get hurt on your first hunt with us."

Reda smiled a little at that, but kept her eyes on their surroundings. A roar in the distance and she gestured a question at Lin'oria who shrugged.

"I think that was a fire demon or something." The elf woman said a bit dubiously. "Never really paid that much attention to the Keeper's tales of spirits and such. Didn't seem- oh dear." She broke off as the forest around them suddenly went still. Reda froze with her.

"Well, well, well..." A soft, oily voice sounded from nearby and Reda snarled a silent obscenity as a human form seemed to appear. No, he simply stepped from behind a tree. He wasn't alone. "Two for the price of one."

The human wore no armor, but he carried a staff that glowed with an eldritch light. A mage and from Lin'oria's reaction, not a friendly one. The seven soldiers behind him all were armored and had weapons in hand. There was something odd about them. They looked...wrong somehow. Two of them put away their weapons and Reda shook her head grimly as she saw them produce chains.

"These are not your lands, shemlen." Lin'oria said firmly. "Begone." But her anger held a current of fear as well. There was no way to know how many of the clan's hunters might have escaped the demons. Had the mage summoned it?

"We go where we will. And _you_ will learn your place, _slave_." The mage said with a smile that was more rictus than friendly. A hand waved and electricity arced form his hand to strike Lin'oria who grimaced, then fell. It arced as well to Reda who smiled as it did _nothing_ her. "What the? Oh. A dwarf? Fine. Chain it." Reda moved between the slavers and Lin'oria, her sword now in hand. "And _what_ do you think you are doing?"

Reda ignored the mage for the moment. Seven soldiers. Long odds, but she had faced worse in the Deep Roads. She had always prided herself on being prepared. The mage had a moment to stare as her hand dipped to her belt. Then his eyes went huge in alarm, but then he smiled as the small blue flask she threw missed him to shatter on the shield of one of the men behind him.

"And what was the _point_... of...?" The mage trailed off as sick groans came from behind him. He turned his head and stared as he saw _all_ of his guards fall to the ground, a sickly blue-green haze surrounding all of them. Reda smiled a death's head grin. No one would be eating _those_. In a few minutes, the corrosive effect would start and nothing would be _left_ of any of them but sour memory. "What? No!" He spun back to Reda, but too late as his barrier shattered. He stared at the crossbow that had appeared in her hand and then down at the bolt that had buried itself in his midsection. He collapsed as she stepped forward, sword ready. "You...can't..."

Reda didn't bother to try to answer. She swung and his head fell forward, hanging from his neck by a tiny thread of flesh. Then she kicked his head and it flew off to fly into the forest. Reda moved to squat beside Lin'oria as the elf groaned.

"Remind me never to make you angry with _me_." Lin'oria said weakly as she took Reda's hand to rise. "Doesn't seem healthy."

Reda smiled a little melancholy as she assisted Lin'oria to walk.

 _If only you knew..._


	5. Chapter 5

**Who**

What she could feel of the Stone felt... wrong.

The Dalish had been far more than fair to her. She still wasn't entirely sure why they had let her stay. From everything she had heard, none of the clan had any idea why the Keeper had insisted she stay. They were a distrustful bunch, not that surprising if the humans that she and Lin'oria had encountered had been typical. She got an inkling of the elves' history from tales told around the fire at night, and it was a sad tale. One filled with betrayals from many sides, both elven and other. Small wonder some of the clan were still deeply suspicious of her. Others had turned very welcoming, Lin'oria in particular. She found... she enjoyed their company, even the prickly ones.

She liked them. Which is why she had to go.

There were no secrets in a Dalish camp. She had an audience even before she finished packing her meager belongings. None of them spoke, a fact for which she was grateful. She wasn't that good with emotion anymore. Not that she ever had been. She had always been a weapon.

"Where will you go?" Reda had to smile at the voice. Brina was a good kid. She had been the girl at the surface entrance that Reda had first arrived at and she hadn't been harmed in the battle. Her promised mate, Rijak, was not so lucky, but he would recover in time. She smiled a bit forlornly as Reda smiled at her and pulled her tablet from its pouch.

'This is not my home, Brina.' Reda wrote quickly. 'Your clan has been very welcoming, but I need to go. You have your lives, I have mine.'

"You will be missed." Brina said quietly, her eyes filled with tears she was trying hard not to shed.

'And I will miss you.' Reda held out a hand and Brina took it, gave it a squeeze and released it. The dwarf looked around at the silent assemblage and nodded to them. 'Your lives have been hard. As hard or harder than mine. All I seek is death. But you...' She shook her head. 'You strive for _life_. To remember what you can. To continue despite everything that has happened. That is worthy of respect.'

"And what _you_ do is not?" Lin'oria stepped forward, her face set.

'Lin'oria, I am a _weapon_.' Reda wrote, shaking her head again. 'No more. No less. I am no different from your bow or your sword. Aim me at a target and it dies. That is all I am.'

"That is not true." Brina looked stricken. The young elf turned away, fleeing back into the crowd.

'There are times that I wish it was not so.' Reda wrote when no one else spoke. She shrugged. 'What will be, will be. I gave my word. I swore an oath. I have to abide by it or I am less than nothing.'

None of the Dalish would meet her eyes and she nodded. She put her tablet away and started off, only to pause as Lin'oria stepped in front of her. The elf did not speak. Instead, she held out a bow and quiver. _Hers!_ Reda smiled and shook her head, patting her crossbow. Lin'oria did not move.

"Here on the surface, a bow has advantages." The elf said quietly. "You saved my life, Reda. I owe you something." Reda pulled her tablet out and wrote quickly, fighting to see past the tears that threatened.

'They would have killed or enslaved _me_ too.' Reda said with a wry grin that faded. 'And that toxin will cause problems.'

She hadn't really meant to use such a quantity of that nasty stuff. She had grabbed for one vial, and instead had thrown _three_. Admittedly _that_ pack of slavers would bother _no one_ ever again. But she hadn't even _thought_ about tossing the poison, it couldn't hurt _stone_ after all. But she wasn't underground. When the keeper had explained about the potential repercussions of wildlife finding the toxin filled area and spreading the poison, Reda had been all but apologetic. She had shown the Keeper how to make the antidote but that was a minor blessing. The toxin worked fast. One could be affected by it and die within seconds. The area around where she had killed the slavers was a dead zone. Trees, grass, weeds, nothing lived inside it. The Keeper promised her that the forest would recover in time and the rest of the clan was happy that the slavers had been dealt with. Who knew how many of the clan they might have taken if they had continued?

It appeared that the mage had summoned the demon to scatter the hunters, to allow his men to snatch one or two of the fleeing Dalish. But he hadn't planned on Reda being there. She felt nothing for the slaver and his men. She felt more keenly for the damage her speedy attack had done. She had caused damage that she hadn't meant to. She had put the clan that sheltered her in danger and the Keeper said they would watch the poisoned area until the danger was past.

"Do not blame yourself, Reda." Lin'oria shook her head. "Those shemlen brought their fates onto themselves. If you had not killed them, then the _clan_ would have." A hungry growl answered her. "Yes, what you did was a bit...excessive. No one blames you for that though. _Eight_ to _one_? And a _mage_ to boot?" She smiled wryly and Reda felt her face start to emulate it. "Next time? Leave _something_ for us to loot please." A chuckle went around the group, but it wasn't really funny.

Only the mage's possessions had been salvageable at all. All of the others had been corroded beyond recovery by the toxin. The mage hadn't had much himself, just a few coins, his staff and the tools of his despicable trade.

'I will try to remember that.' Reda wrote with a smile. 'I must go, Lin'oria.'

"Go with our blessing, Child of the Stone." Keeper Renia's voice preceded the old elf into view. Her face was sad, but her steps were firm as she moved to stand beside Lin'oria. "We know of no other access points to the Deep Roads, but I have asked of other clans and two have spoken of caves with dwarven architecture to the north." Reda looked at the Keeper and Reni made a face. "None know if there _are_ accesses or if said accesses are still clear, but it is a start." She held out a parchment to the dwarf who took it. "The best map I can make."

Reda looked at the parchment and whistled silently. The map was easy to read and understand. It showed a huge territory.

"One more thing." The Keeper said with a frown as she reached into a pocket. "I do not know if your sense of the Stone will guide you here on the surface. "If not, then this will." She held out a small object to Reda who took it. It was a tiny case made of leather. She looked at it and then at the Keeper who smiled. "Open it." Reda opened the case and a tiny metal needle started to spin as soon as she did. She stared at it as it slowed and stopped, pointing in one direction. "I don't think you can use compasses underground. But that will work for as long as you need it to."

'Is this magic?' Reda asked, staring as she moved the case to one side and then another.

"Not that anyone has been able to determine." The Keeper said with smile. "It is just a compass. The arrow points North." She paused and shook her head. "At least, it will on the surface."

'We have compasses.' Reda wasn't sure about this. 'But they use lyrium and I have very little of that.'

"This one does not use lyrium." Keeper Renia reassured her. "Like I say, I don't know if it will work underground or not. But aboveground? It will." She stepped close, laying her hand on Reda's shoulder. "We have known you only a short time Reda, Child of the Stone. But we count you a friend. Go as you must, but if your travels bring you back to our lands, know that you have a bed waiting for you by our fire. Now and always."

Reda hadn't felt so choked up in years. She bowed to the clan and then turned on her heel, away before any could see the tears fell slowly.

* * *

 **A bit later**

The surface was weird.

Everything about the surface was very different from what Reda knew. She had been raised and trained in a world of stone. Of walls and ceilings that were always there, even if not always visible. The sky was a blatant thing that offended her sense of how things should be, so she ignored it for the most part. But then, it seemed to darken a bit and water started falling from it! Luckily, her pack was waterproof. It wasn't unheard to find rivers underground and sometimes, she had been forced to flee into them. Her gear would need tending after this, but she was really in no hurry. She found a convenient tree to take shelter under while she waited for whatever was happening to stop.

Trees. Another thing she had heard about, but it hadn't really clicked. She had read about them but had never imagined that there would be so many kinds. So much green. So many things living all around her. She had spent more than ten years as the sole mobile thing that wasn't Blighted anywhere that she could easily find. Now? She was bemused by all of the uncorrupted life.

The sky turned bright again and the water stopped falling. Reda glanced at it and then back at the ground as she started off. She had a bit of time before the sky darkened and 'night' came. She hadn't ever had to deal with that either while underground. Time lost all meaning when you were in the Deep Roads. You ate when you could, slept when you could. The rest of the time? You fought.

As she walked, the dwarf pilled the map from her pack and scrutinized it. According to what it said, there should be a 'road' ahead. Not that she expected the surface had anything like real roads. It was...

She slid into the shadow of a tree as green light erupted ahead of her. The skreel of metal against metal sounded as well as cries that she recognized. A battle was happening ahead! She eased forward, crossbow in hand. Then she stopped, fascinated.

Four humanoid forms battled a horde of monsters in a clearing ahead. One looked to be dwarven. His own crossbow was odd looking. Familiar, but odd looking. It had four limbs instead of two as most of the ones that Reda knew. And it fired so _fast_. Metallic 'chunk' noises came as bolt after bolt flew towards the host of enemies. Another of the forms was tall and spindly, elven apparently. _His_ staff glowed with inner fire as he cast spell after spell. But Reda could see no damage being done, so... what was he _doing_? Bolstering the team somehow? Then he waved a hand and one of the creatures froze solid only to be smashed by...

What was _that_? Reda had no idea _what_ the towering form was, only that she _never_ wanted to fight it. She had faced Ogres in the Deep Roads as well as emissaries and the odd smarter darkspawn occasionally. This...thing was huge. It was horned like an Ogre, but there the similarities ended. Ogres did not use weapons aside from rocks that they pulled out of the ground occasionally. Ogres did not carry two handed axes and wield them expertly, blocking attacks and retaliating. This huge form wielded said axe with the skill of a Legion of the Dead Avenger.

All that paled as she looked at the final form. It was tall like an elf, but stocky like a dwarf. So, a human? She couldn't be sure. But... There was a green glow coming from behind it's shield. The glow matched the writhing ball of energy that hung in the sky near the battle.

And the enemies they faced... Reda saw a red form that she recognized. Another fire demon! At least a dozen of the smaller forms that whipped to and fro, throwing bolts of eldritch energy at their foes. More demons were erupting from the ground around the sickly green thing in the sky and Reda was torn. A battle. But not her battle. She was sworn to die in the Deep Roads, not here on this strange surface. And frankly? These didn't seem to _need_ her help. They were tearing through...

Some sixth sense warned her and she threw herself aside as the dwarf fired his weapon and a massive bolt that was half physical and half energy tore through a demon and...

She had a bare moment to see the bolt _turn in midair_. Then it hit her in the chest.

* * *

"Well, shit."

Agony was her world. Every piece of her hurt. Someone was touching her, easing her. Laying her out straight carefully.

"Did you find the-? Oh _no_!" The voice wasn't familiar. None of them were. "Is she okay?"

"I can't tell for sure, boss." The voice was deep, huge. Sort of kind and sort of not. "She is alive. Bolt would have killed anything but a dwarf." Reproof sounded in that voice.

"I didn't _see_ her!" This male voice was shallower but louder. "There wasn't anything _there!_ " The hands were touching her again, but... professional. Checking her injuries?

"Hush, Varric." The second speaker was a female voice. Reda couldn't move. She couldn't see. "Bull?"

"She is alive, boss. Hurt bad." The deep and resonant voice sounded. "We better get her to a healer. This is weird. She isn't a peasant." A noise of confusion came from the other and the one called Bull continued. "She is well armed and some of these vials..." He sounded worried now. "Boss, I think she is carrying poisons."

"Poisons?" The female demanded. "An _assassin_?"

"I... don't know." The one called Bull replied. "I don't know what these things are and that makes me nervous. Boss, we still have rifts to seal. She wasn't targeting _us_ or she would have shot while we were distracted. So, I dunno."

"The rifts _must_ take precedence." Another voice. Male. Oddly serene.

" _Shut it_ , Chuckles." The one called Varric was very upset. The archer who had shot her maybe. She couldn't move.

"Varric, Bull..." The female gave sigh. "We _have_ to keep moving. There are still three more rifts that we know of and those are only the ones the scouts have _seen_. I saw a patrol a few minutes ago. Solas, send up a flare." A whistle sounded from close at hand and the female voice sounded again. "Bull? Can we move her?"

"A stretcher would be best. As for leaving her here? She is obviously _not_ a civilian." Bull replied. "But she is hurt bad. The bolt tore clear through her. At least the energy cauterized the wound or she would have bled out before I found her. Ah, here comes the patrol."

Reda heard noises in the distance. People moving quickly.

"Herald?" The speaker sounded breathless.

"Do you have a stretcher?" The woman replied, her voice firm and clear. "Good. Get this one to a healer. And... set a guard. She is more than she seems. We still have rifts to close."

"At once, Herald."

"Better put her completely out to move her." The one called Bull said quietly. "Solas?"

"My magic won't work on her. But I think..." A rustle of cloth. "Yes, this will work."

Something eased over Reda's nose and mouth and she couldn't move as something sweet smelling wafted her into unconsciousness.

* * *

The Iron Bull nodded as the team of Inquisition soldiers started setting up the stretcher. The Herald, the mage and the dwarf had already started off towards the next rip in the sky and he would follow.

"Don't mess with any of the vials." The Iron Bull warned the soldiers who looked at him. He shrugged. "Disarm her and keep an eye on her until Sister Leliana can have a look at her, but _whatever_ you do, do _not_ mess with those vials. I _bet_ they are poisons." All of the soldiers froze for a moment at that and the Bull nodded. "For right now, we don't know that she is an enemy. So, get to a healer. To Haven if you have to. But carefully. The boss isn't happy with this. Not at _all_."

"What happened to her?" The team leader asked carefully. "That looks like an arrow wound, but... not."

"Friendly fire. Varric shot her." The Iron Bull replied and nodded as the team leader whistled in sympathy. "Yeah. Get her to the crossroads. That elven healer should be able to do something. If not? Get her to Haven."

"Sir, if she _is_ an assassin..." The team leader began and trailed off as Bull shook his massive head.

"She wasn't targeting _us_." The Iron Bull replied. "And there is something... odd about her. Just, disarm her, get her to the healers and keep a _guard_ on her until we know who and what she is and what she was doing here."

"Yes, sir." The team leader actually _saluted_ him and The Iron Bull scoffed as he ran to catch up with the group.

 _Of all the things I might have expected when the Ben-Hassrath sent me here,_ _that_ _was not on the list._

The woman he called 'Boss' marched forward, her sword sheathed for the moment, but her eyes wary as she walked towards where they could all see another green tear in the sky. Varric muttered under his breath, either worried about the female he had shot or working on lines for his next book. Solas was... what he was. Something about the elf bothered the qunari, but they had bigger problems. Ahead, the rift spurted evil looking energy, preparing to vomit demons into the world. The Herald drew her sword and charged, The Iron Bull right on her heels.

Another normal day for the Inquisition.


	6. Chapter 6

**Questions**

"What is _this_?"

Haven's infirmary was packed. Dozens of soldiers had been injured first in the fighting to stem the flow of demons from the Breach and now trying to stem the chaos of the war between the rebel mages and the renegade Templars. Neither side was willing to listen to reason and until the Inquisition dealt with them somehow, the fighting would continue.

The only good news was that many people who had sought to evade the conflict had found shelter of sorts with the Inquisition. Many mages who hadn't wanted to fight and Templars who had been disgusted with the choices that their order had taken had sought out the fledging organization to join it. Others had come as well, flocking to the single apparent choice for order in the chaotic world that followed the destruction of the conclave. Some had come for glory. Others had come for knowledge. Still others...

Agent Korbin had come to the infirmary to check on one of the men under his command. No one was entirely sure _why_ a dwarf from the Legion of the Dead had shown up to fight for the Inquisition but most were happy to have him fighting for them. His skill was impressive to say the least. He refused to speak of why he had come and no one really dared question him too much about it. If Leliana knew, she wasn't talking. He had checked on the soldier, but as he had feared, the human had succumbed to his wounds. The man had fought bravely, but despite his skill and equipment, he had been overwhelmed.

It had been a bad fight. Demons had overrun a ruin and the Herald had been busy elsewhere. There hadn't been a rift in the area, just hordes of demons. So the Inquisition had sent regular forces in. It had been a bloodbath, but the Inquisition forces had prevailed. Korbin was highly regarded by the troops he commanded because he cared about them. He did not hesitate to _use_ them when needed, but he was loathe to waste them, a fact that the soldiers he fought beside understood and admired. This was a war, casualties were to be expected.

As he was leaving though, he saw something that made him pause. One of the nurses snarled at him for blocking the way and he stepped aside to speak to the soldier who stood on guard beside a bed with a still form in it. A female dwarf, she was...familiar somehow. Not of the Legion, but familiar. Bandages covered her chest and her face was scarred from hard fighting. Despite that, he was sure he knew her.

"Where did _she_ come from?" Korbin asked the soldier who shrugged.

"Don't know, ser." The soldier replied from where he stood. "All I know is that she was found in the Hinterlands. We brought her here and the healers tended her." Korbin nodded to that. "She will live." The soldier offered.

"Good." Korbin said with a nod. But... something about that was wrong. _Was_ she of the Legion? That didn't seem right. "You are detailed to _guard_ her? While she is _asleep?_ "

"Things are still a bit chaotic. It is all catch as catch can, ser." The soldier said with a shrug. "I just do as I am told." Korbin had to smile at that.

"Yeah. Know the feeling." Korbin agreed. "Have you eaten?"

"Uh, ser..." The soldier sounded uncomfortable. "My orders were to stay here until relieved."

"You _haven't_." Korbin bit back a sigh. These Inquisition humans really did get a bit too much into it at times. Even the most fanatic of warriors needed _some_ downtime. The Legion knew better, generally. Even under the current king of- Korbin stiffened and stared at the sleeping dwarf woman again. He did recognize her. _Oh dear._ The soldier, picking up on his sudden worry, stiffened as well.

"Ser?" The soldier had a hand on his sword hilt, but Korbin waved for him to relax.

"Stay here." This was a command. "I will have food sent for you and hopefully set up a relief of some kind. Let you get some rest." The guard smiled in appreciation, but Korbin was gone.

 _I need to talk to the spymaster._

* * *

She was not dreaming. Dwarves did not dream. But everything was foggy. Nothing hurt now. She was calm. There were people moving around her, things she could not see were touching her chest and side. But nothing hurt. Then it all went away.

When Reda woke, she was lying on a bed. It was completely unlike the Dalish bed she had seen. Indeed, only the Keeper had a bed at all in the camp she had woken in, and the Keeper had given up _her_ bed for Reda to convalesce in. She felt...off. Not bad. Just off. An ache was felt through her chest, but nothing else hurt at all. At least, not through the fog that surrounded her.

"Good morning." Reda could not get her head to turn quickly but it did move and she saw a human woman standing beside the bed she lay in. The woman was... not young, but not old either. She wore an odd garment that covered her almost completely except for her face. Strands of red hair escaped the cowl of the garment to frame the face, giving it a trace of softness that Reda knew somehow was an illusion. This woman was _anything_ but soft. The woman nodded to Reda. "You are a mystery and I do not like mysteries. You cannot speak, but you can write as is evidenced by this." She held up Reda's tablet and swiped her hand over it. It came on. Reda felt her eyes widen a bit and the woman nodded. "You appeared out of nowhere and you were carrying things that would frighten anyone _sane_. Antivan Fire, poisons, and that mechanical _thing_ that no one has been able to figure out how to put together."

Reda closed her eyes. She was a prisoner. Would they sell her to her brother or just kill her? She found she didn't care much.

"We need answers." The woman said quietly. "And we will have those answers one way or another." Reda just looked at her and to her surprise, the other sighed. "I know who you _were_. What I do _not_ know is who you are _now_ and what you are doing here. Now."

Reda tried to raise her hand to take the tablet, but it wouldn't move. When she looked down, she saw her hands and feet were strapped to the bed. Other straps held her torso down. She wore a thin garment of some kind that was enough for modesty purposes and no more. Something surrounded her waist that she could not identify so she ignored it for now.

"We cannot take any chances."The human said quietly. "I need your word as an Aeducan that you will not try to escape." Reda looked away. "Please. Our normal methods of interrogation will not work with you unable to speak. You can be stubborn if you wish. Your brother would _love_ to find you here, alone and unarmed. That is the best kind of prey for such as him. The kind that cannot _fight back_." Reda jerked at the acid in the human's tone and stared at the human who nodded. "Yes, I have met him. No, I did _not_ like him. Only a _fool_ trusts him."

Reda snorted at that. True. Then she nodded once, quickly.

"Thank you, Mi'lady." The human woman stepped to Reda's side and to the dwarf's amazement started undoing the straps. "The information we had said you were in the Deep Roads." She said as she finished releasing Reda. "That you were sworn to die there." Reda stared at her hands and then at the human who smiled. "I have known many of your kind. Warriors of the Stone. Even Oghren at his most drunken would not willingly betray his oath." Reda scoffed at that and the human smiled. "You know him too, I see."

Reda nodded and gave herself a shake. Her chest hurt, but nothing else. The human lay her tablet beside her hand and Reda took it gingerly. She wrote quickly and carefully.

'You know who I am.' Reda wrote and the human nodded. 'Who are you?'

"My name is Leliana." The human said with a nod. "I have had many roles and many jobs but now, I function as the information gathering specialist for the Inquisition."

'Inquisition?' Reda spelled out the odd word and looked the question at Leliana who looked a bit dumbfounded before nodding.

"Ah, yes. You wouldn't know." Apparently, there was a chair beside the bed. Leliana sat in it, an obvious means of placing herself lower. Not as threatening. "You have seen the Breach." It wasn't a question, but Reda nodded anyway. "We have one among us who can seal the rifts it spawned and spawns. We are trying to stem the flow of chaos and restore order."

'A noble goal.' Reda wrote as she looked around. Now that she wasn't fuzzy anymore, she could tell she was in a small room. The walls were stone and the ceiling was well made, if not of dwarven quality. 'I need to get back to the Deep Roads.'

"You were badly hurt." Leliana shook her head. "Varric had no idea you were there when he fired. Even _your_ kind will not simply 'get up' after having hole blasted _through_ you. Why did you leave the Deep Roads?"

'I was ambushed by assassins.' Reda wrote. 'I ran.'

"Survival usually trumps stupid courage." Leliana agreed. "And since then?"

'I have been trying to get back under.' Reda shrugged, even though it hurt. Her face showed none of the pain, but Leliana was no normal interrogator.

"Do not push yourself." The human woman warned. "That wound would have killed most people, even many of your kind. What should we call you?"

'Reda.' The bedridden dwarf wrote with a grunt.

"Why not your old name?" Leliana asked carefully.

'I am not who I was.' Reda wrote and glared at the human who pursed her lips and then nodded.

"But you still feel bound by your oath." Leliana sounded halfway between incredulity and tears. Reda just looked at her and Leliana shook her head. "You dwarves are stubborn, I will give you that."

'Am I your prisoner now?' Reda asked in writing. "Will you sell me to Behlen?'

"We -the Inquisition- have no call to interfere in dwarven politics." Leliana said delicately. "Orzammar has pledged us aid and some warriors have come to help us. One of them identified you to me." Reda jerked and then slumped. " _He_ and _I_ are the only ones who know who you were. Behlen doesn't know yet."

'He will.' Reda wrote. "I just-' She stopped writing as Leliana laid a hand on hers. The human patted her hand and withdrew it.

"He will not find out from _us_." Leliana's tone might have bent steel. "As I say, Orzammar's politics are _not_ our concern. You were injured by one of our people. At the very least, we need to help you recover. Varric has been beside himself." She smiled. "Something to see actually."

'Why?' Reda asked. 'I mean... I am nothing to you.'

" _Anyone_ who can sneak up on _Varric_ is worth knowing." Leliana said with a smile. It seemed to brighten the room. "You will not be able to move for a bit. Magic healing won't work on you." Reda nodded, working to keep her face impassive. "So the methods we will use are primitive. But they work. We will do what we can. We have a great deal of skill accumulated here, if not a lot of resources yet."

'Why not give me to Behlen?' Reda asked in her writing after a moment. 'He would reward you.'

"And we could not trust anything he rewarded us with." Leliana said severely. "I know you did not kill your brother." Reda jerked and Leliana nodded. "What the current king did was political. He wanted the power and he took it."

'I did not see it." Reda wrote carefully through suddenly blurry eyes. 'I guess I did not _want_ to see it. He set me up so cleanly. Then it was done and I was exiled. I swore to obey the law and the law cast me out.'

" _Orzammar's_ law." Leliana said quietly and Reda went still. "I can guess who you work for now." At that, Reda forced herself to remain still. It was hard."I don't know why and it really does not concern me. Unless they impact our work on the surface, dwarven politics do not concern us." Reda did not react and Leliana gave a deep sigh. "We want to aid you, Lady Reda."

'Just Reda.' The bedridden dwarf wrote firmly.

"It is 'Lady Reda' or 'Tunnel Ghost' as Korbin calls you." Leliana said with a small smile. Reda looked at her and the human shook her head. "We have no idea why a Legion of the Dead Legionnaire joined us, but we are glad to have him."

"A Legionnaire?' Reda wrote, incredulous. 'On the surface?'

"Your surprise matches ours." Leliana replied. "For a time, it was wondered if Behlen had sent him. But no. He came on his own."

'That seems off.' Reda wrote slowly and Leliana nodded.

"He will not speak of it." The human said with a shrug. "He is very competent at fighting _and_ leading. The men look up to him and we need him where he is right now."

"I see.' Reda wrote only to pause as Leliana scoffed. 'What?'

"You are just as confused as we are." Leliana said without a trace of sarcasm. "Maybe more so. You know the Legion well. Or they know _you_ well."

'I have fought beside them on occasion.' Reda wrote carefully. 'If I had been given the chance, I probably would have joined them.' Leliana nodded soberly.

"But your brother did not give you the chance." Leliana's words were not a question.

'No.' Reda agreed in writing. 'He couldn't. Not and keep up the pretense long enough to take power. I was supposed to die.' She looked away from Leliana, but her hand was still writing. 'I wanted to. Trian was my _brother_. As much as I hated him on occasion for being an idiot, he was _still_ my brother. I failed him _and_ my father. I let Behlen sucker me cleanly into his trap. He intended me to die in the Deep Roads, hence the oath that he made General Harrowmont take from me. He couldn't kill me himself or it would have exposed up his plans, so he made it so I had to die even if not by his hand.'

"But you didn't." Leliana said simply and Reda nodded.

'Barely.' Reda replied by way of her writing.

"You are alive." Leliana's tone turned hard. "Where there is life, there is hope, if often dim and hard to see. For now, you need to focus on healing. It will take some time for your wound to heal unless we can get magic to work on you." Reda scoffed at that and Leliana made a face. "I know, but we have to try. You were hurt by the actions of one of our people, so we owe you a debt. To pay that debt, we will see you healed. And I will work to find a way for you to return to the Deep Roads."

'Why?' Reda asked suspicion mounting. "Why help me? You are not doing such for some altruistic reason. What do you gain?'

"I want to open a dialogue with the people you work for." Leliana said quietly. Reda shook her head and Leliana frowned. "And yes, I know they are not Carta."

'No.' Reda said and with a wave, shut off her tablet.

"Lady Reda..." Leliana spoke softly, but Reda lay back and shut her eyes. After a few minutes, Reda heard the chair scrape and she cracked her eyes to see the human leave the room.

Reda sat up. She had to get away. She had to...

Pain flared in her chest and she could only take it for a moment before passing out.

* * *

Leliana shook her head as she watched the surgeon work. Reda had burst several stitches trying to get up.

"You warned me." Leliana said quietly. "I didn't believe you. Not with a _hole_ blown through her."

"She is who she is, Mistress Leliana." Korbin said quietly from where he stood by the door. "She was raised to serve. To do her duty to her people. She was always closest to the military. When they hear about this...and they _will_..." Leliana shook her head. "It will be bad."

"The _last_ thing we need is a civil war in _Orzammar_ to add to the one in _Orlais_." Leliana said sourly. Korbin did not move or speak and she sighed. She shook her head. "You are the best informed person we have currently on what is happening there, Korbin."

"I was with the Legion, Mistress Leliana." Korbin said with a shrug. "Not a lot of focus on politics while trying not to be a darkspawn's lunch."

"I remember." Leliana said quietly and Korbin nodded. She had been with the Hero of Ferelden when he had gone into the Deep Roads looking for a lost Paragon. "Did they manage to hold Bownammar?" Korbin shook her head and Leliana sighed deeper. "I had hoped, but there were just so many darkspawn there when we went."

"The Legion did what it could, Ma'am." Korbin said quietly and Leliana smiled at him.

"If _they_ couldn't do it, then it couldn't be _done_." Leliana slumped a bit. "Korbin, I need an answer. Is she working for who I think she is?"

"All we knew about her, Ma'am..." Korbin was still quiet. "..was that she killed darkspawn in job lots. We ran into her a few times. We helped her, she helped us. If she _is_ working for Kal-Sharok? She will _never_ admit it."

"Do you trust her?" Leliana asked slowly. Korbin nodded.

"With my life _and_ my death." The Legionnaire said firmly.

"Okay." Leliana shook her head. "Then we need to gain her trust by proving that _we_ are trustworthy. Any ideas?" The dwarf looked at her and then slowly smiled.

"I... might have an idea or two..."


	7. Chapter 7

**Uncertainty**

Most sentient beings that were known were creatures of habit. The inquisition was no different. They had each set up a place for themselves in the small town of Haven. The staff was at work, Leliana in her tent, Cullen with his soldiers, Josephine at her desk. Solas was near the apothecary, doing whatever it was the elf mage did in his downtime. Korbin had made a point never to ask. Sera was always in the tavern, listening, griping, playing her games when no one could see. Cassandra was always practicing, working on her swordsmanship. Korbin admired that, she was exceptional at her chosen craft. Blackwall was always near the forges and stables for some reason. Vivienne was always in the Chantry, usually reading. The iron Bull was an anomaly in that and Korbin wasn't entirely sure why. But even _he_ could usually be found near the tents that had been set up for his Chargers when he wasn't lurking somewhere, listening.

The only true anomaly in that was the Herald. Korbin never knew _where_ he would find that human. She was downright _uncanny_ at times. One moment, she would be reading some kind of text -history, religion, philosophy, it made little difference to the dwarf-, the next, she would be mediating a dispute between two members of the Inquisition. Then she would be praying in the Chantry's sanctuary. The next moment, she would be wandering, watching, keeping an eye on everyone. He found that he didn't mind. She wasn't -quite- the commander of the group. But she was acting the part. Her people came first to her. Then her mission. Closing the Breach and restoring order to Thedas. Only after all of that had been taken care of would she worry about herself. He admired that. She might have been born into a noble family, but she had not been born to command. Even so, she was learning fast and she had what it took. He was proud to serve with her.

But right now? He wasn't looking for the Herald either. Korbin found who he sought exactly where he had thought to.

The other dwarf was sitting by the fire near the gate leading to the outer part of the village, staring into the fire. He did not look up as Korbin walked up.

"Varric Tethras." The Legionnaire said quietly. The other looked up at him and seemed to freeze. "It wasn't your fault."

"What?" The bard/storyteller/con-dwarf/deshyr/and how knew how many other roles he had filled said with a jerk.

"There was no way you could have known she was there." Korbin continued. Varric stared at him, confused. "The woman you shot." Varric stared at him and then shook his head. "She will live, Varric Tethras."

"Korbin, right?" Varric asked slowly. Korbin nodded. "Call me Varric. I am not anyone special." Korbin shrugged, but accepted that. "What can I do for you?"

"I need a story." Korbin replied. Varric looked at him and the Legionnaire nodded. "It is important. Very important."

"Why would _you_ need a story?" Varric asked, his eyes flicking over the other dwarf's armor. Korbin knew what he saw. The marking of the Legion were plain to see.

"It is not a story for _me_." Korbin gave himself a shake. "I know you do not like Orzammar. Neither do _I_ for similar reasons. But there is a massive _quake_ coming. One that has the potential to topple the entire city." Varric stared at the Legionnaire, his mouth open for a moment. "Yes, events that have unfolded could cause a civil war. You know what devastation that would cause and not _just_ in Orzammar."

Varric had seen the Mage-Templar war _start_ in Kirkwall. If _anyone_ knew the costs of such a thing, _he_ did. Orzammar -love it or hate it- affected the economies of every nation on Thedas. If it fell into chaos, the word 'bad' pretty much applied.

"Not here." Varric said firmly.

The dwarven storyteller started off and Korbin followed. The legionnaire was a bit bemused as Varric led him right out of the main gate and out onto the frozen lake. They walked into the middle of the lake and there Varric spun to glare at the Legionnaire. This was not the amiable bard and con-dwarf. No. This being was used to commanding others.

"Talk." Varric snapped.

"Eleven years ago, the king of Orzammar had three children." Korbin said calmly. "You know the story." It wasn't a question.

"Familiar story." Varric agreed. "The eldest was the heir, the youngest wanted the throne. The middle child was groomed to serve in the military." Korbin nodded. "The eldest was murdered and all evidence pointed to the middle child who was exiled to the Deep Roads to die. That left Behlen to try to take the throne." He could not -quite- keep distaste from his tone. He looked at Korbin who nodded again.

"General Harrowmont stymied Behlen until the Warden came." Korbin continued. "Much as many dislike what Behlen did and how, the darkspawn _were_ driven back. But now? He is losing his grip."

" _What?_ " Varric demanded. "No one has said-" He broke off and grimaced. "Duh. Of course no one will say. Like you say, civil war. Not an outsider or surfacer problem."

"It came close to that ten years ago, but not quite." Korbin agreed. "What _happened_ was bad enough. There was open fighting in the streets at times." He shook his head. "And then Behlen had Harrowmont beheaded in the street outside the Hall of Assembly." Varric stared at him and the legionnaire frowned. "He purged most of Harrowmont's house that day. The blood ran ankle deep."

"Yeah. Saw something like it in Kirkwall." Varric said weakly. "So why now? It has been ten years."

"What if I told you that Sereda Aeducan, the middle child of King Edrin Aeducan, did **_not_** die in the Deep Roads as expected?" Korbin asked softly. Varric stared at him and then slowly paled. "Yes. That is who you shot."

"That isn't _possible_!" Varric said quickly. "I mean, ten _years_ in the Deep Roads? _Alone_?"

"Not alone." Korbin said quietly. "It was never officially reported, but the Legion has encountered her several times. Sometimes, she had a group of other dwarves with her. They never spoke and there was something... off about them." Varric stared at the legionnaire and Korbin made face."That is the best I can describe it. I saw her once down there. My squad had been cut off by a darkspawn vanguard and we were being whittled down. We fought. It was what we did. What we do." Varric nodded and Korbin continued. "Next thing I know, there are dozen dwarves attacking the darkspawn's flank. And she..." Varric stared as _awe_ entered the legionnaire's voice. "She was right there with them. She wasn't a frontline fighter, she was using a crossbow. Never spoke. None of them said a word. Not even _battlecries_. Killed the darkspawn, nodded to us and _vanished_ like she and her people had never been there at all. I saw one of them fall, Varric. The body vanished before we could do rites."

"Holy shit." Varric swallowed hard and Korbin nodded. "So... What was she doing on the surface? In the Hinterlands?" He slumped a bit. "And I have _no_ idea why Bianca's bolt hit her. It _turned_ , Korbin. The bolt turned. It wasn't supposed to _do_ that."

"We do not have answers for those questions." Korbin said quietly. "Right now, though, we have a quandary. If Behlen finds out she is _here_..." Varric cursed vilely and Korbin nodded again. "His entire claim to the throne was that he was the _only_ child of King Edrin. The entire populace knows he set her up. She told Mistress Leliana that she was running from assassins." Varric seemed to reel and Korbin made a face of agreement. "The military... will not take this well."

"You are a master of understatement, Legionnaire." Varric said with a scowl. "But it has been _ten years_. How many of the military _remember_ her?"

"Enough do." Korbin said with a calm he didn't really feel. "You and I may agree that some traditions are too much, but Behlen has been trampling all over the populace to enact his reforms. He dissolved the Assembly." Varric went still and Korbin continued. "I don't know much more than that. I joined the Legion shortly after that."

"F***." Varric breathed. "So... what about her? Sereda?"

" _That_ is why I need a story."

* * *

 **Some time later**

Reda hurt. Every nerve was on fire. She writhed and fought, tried to escape the pain that tore through her, but it would not be denied. She jerked fully awake, panting only to freeze as she saw someone sitting beside her bed that she didn't know. Or did she? When her eyes focused, she realized it was the dwarf she had seen before. The one with the four limbed crossbow. The dwarf wasn't looking at her. He had the pieces of her crossbow laid out on a table nearby. She stared around slowly but no one else was visible. A tray with food on it also sat on the table. She jerked again as the dwarf spoke.

"There have been many times in my life when I have been glad that our kind do not dream." He said quietly, still scrutinizing her crossbow's parts. "Don't move too quickly." He warned her as Reda tried to sit up. "They had to stitch you up since magic doesn't work on you. You tore the stitches when you got up before."

Reda touched her chest where she had been hurt and indeed, she could feel rough stitches. She looked around and saw her tablet on a small table beside the bed. She reached for it slowly. A cup of something sat beside it, but she ignored that.

"It is not drugged, Mi'lady." The other dwarf said sadly. "But you cannot believe us. Tell me." He asked in a conversational tone. "How is Bianca?" Reda froze, her hand halfway to swiping the tablet on. How did he know that one? Then it clicked. _His_ crossbow was kind of like _hers_! Much more advanced, mind you. He turned his head and smiled at her a bit forlornly. "She is a friend. One I can't ever be near on pain of death."

'You know Bianca Davri?' Reda wrote slowly and carefully.

"I do." The other replied. "My name is Varric Tethras." Reda went still at that. She had heard the name.

'She spoke of you.' Reda was frowning as she wrote. 'I asked if she could make a long range crossbow and she had that already done. But she didn't want to make any more.' She shook her head. 'She was horrified by what her inventions might be used for. She said she would never build another so she gave me that prototype. She swore binding oaths never to build more.'

"And you?" Varric asked as he fiddled with one of the pieces of Reda's crossbow.

'I am torn.' Reda admitted. 'My bow and yours are quite useful. But the _thought_ of unscrupulous beings using _her_ inventions to make war amongst my people sickens me as it did _her_. The nobles of Orzammar _would_ use them against each other. It is what they _do_. Mine... Firing so far and so accurately with so little training... No. I will not betray her. I only use it against darkspawn. So I swore, so I will. She was rude, but she was kind to me.'

"Yeah." Varric agreed with a fond, sad smile. "Yeah, she is. Rude and kind in equal measure, that is Bianca. It is none of my business when you met her or how. I wanted you to understand that I share that secret and I will take it to my pyre." This was an oath. "You know what Behlen would do if he found out she made this and mine." Reda nodded soberly.

A crossbow that could fire as fast as the user could pull a handle? That never needed ammunition? That could hit targets that the user could barely _see_? Oh yes, she needed no imagination to know how Behlen would react to such a weapon. The fact that the person who built it was a surfacer would make it worse for Bianca. If she was lucky, she would simply be imprisoned to make the weapons. If not? Reda shuddered.

'We cannot let him know she made it.' Reda agreed. 'I said that I found the bow and a badly damaged design etched into an ancient shield in a forgotten thaig and that is true.' Varric looked at her and Reda smiled. 'Come on, you know our kind. How many people have _tried_ to make something like this over the centuries?'

"Hundreds or thousands." Varric slowly smiled as well. "So... the design..."

'Doesn't work.' Reda reassured him. 'If it did, it the bits that I found are too far gone to use to build anything that will function. I did manage to enhance some standard loading mechanisms, but nothing like-' She broke off, her face slowly freezing.

"Milady, I don't care who you work for." Varric said firmly. "All I care about is that when your brother -and his generals- find out that you are alive and here, all hell will break loose. We have _enough_ problems."

'I need to get back to the Deep Roads.' Reda pleaded.

"Mi'lady, you are not going to be able to leave the _bed_ for a time." Varric said with a scowl. "Yes, I know you are stubborn. But Bianca put a _hole_ in you." Reda looked at him and wonder of wonders, he blushed. "Yes, I named the crossbow after her. Bite me."

'Does she know about that?' Reda wrote with a grin.

"Yeah, she does." Varric smiled, his face a little goofy. "She um...wasn't happy with me."

'I bet.' Reda touched her chest and bit back a hiss of pain. The look she gave Varric was desolate. 'I have to get back. I have to.'

'We could probably carry you somewhere. But into the _Deep Roads?_ " Varric shook his head. "No. We can't. Not for an oath. Not even _yours_."

'It is not an _oath_.' Reda pleaded. 'It is twenty young _lives_!'

* * *

 **Deep Roads**

"Mom?" The voice was tremulous but then it solidified as Shayle entered the main room of the ancient thaig's sole intact dwelling. "Oh, Shayle."

"How are you doing today, Navish?" Shayle asked in a tone that was utterly unlike her normal one as she reached down to pick the dwarven child up and cradle him in her arms.

"The sickness passed." The boy -he wasn't more than ten years old- said quietly. "It comes and goes. The others are stronger too. Where is mom?"

"She is safe for now." Shayle said with a sigh. "But she cannot come back for a bit." Navish swallowed and Shayle was quick to reassure him. "It is okay. _She_ is okay. But the way that she used to get away from people who wanted to hurt her led her a long ways away from home. I do not know how long it will take her to get back."

"Was it the evil one again?" Navish demanded. Shayle would not meet his gaze and he snarled. "I will kill him! I swear it! Someday I will kill him!"

"Ah, Navish..." Shayle wasn't sure when she had suddenly become a second mother to this boy and so many others. "Don't be angry. What happened before was not her fault or yours. The evil one will get what is coming to him, but for now? Be a child. Your mother _lives_."

"I miss her!" Navish was crying now and Shayle held him as he sobbed. It made no sense to her at all that he and the others considered her arms soft.

"I do too." Shayle admitted. "She is a good friend. But now? Someone wants to meet you and the others, Navish. Can you get them ready?" Navish went still in her arms.

"Friend or foe?"He demanded.

"Friend." Shayle reassured him. "She is a Grey Warden. Her name is Sigrun."

"A Grey Warden?" Navish asked. Then he nodded. "I will tell them." He slid out of Shayle's arms and hit the ground at a run. She smiled a bit as she turned to see Sigrun staring at her.

"What?"

"How many?" Sigrun asked, her voice dumbstruck as she stepped to where the golem stood.

"Twenty total." Shayle said softly. "Twelve boys. Eight girls."

"And _how_ old?" Sigrun was shaking her head, trying to wrap her mind around this insanity.

"Navish is eldest." Shayle said simply. "He is ten. The youngest is about a year old."

"I do not understand." Sigrun said weakly. " _Children?_ " She shook her head. "This place is not safe."

"It is safer than the places she -we- found them." Shayle said softly. "She was determined to help them and when we met? She dragooned me into it too. Come."

The golem started off and the Grey Warden followed, her mind awhirl. The next room was a cross between a dormitory and a maternity ward. The older children were dressing the younger ones. All froze as Shayle entered, followed by Sigrun. Shayle spoke before any of the others could.

"Your mom is alive and you know what she would want." Shayle said softly.

"They don't _like_ us, Shayle." A little girl whose face was scarred with the brands of Orzammar casteless said in a tremulous voice from the side. "You know what they will make us do."

"I know, Crina, but this place is not safe without your mom and her men warding it." Shayle said with a shake of her massive head.

" _They hurt her!_ " Crina yelled. Several of the smallest children started to cry, only to be shushed by some of the other ones.

"Crina!" Shayle said firmly and the girl froze. "Time out!" The young dwarf nodded and stepped to the corner where she sat, staring at the wall.

"Who?" Sigrun said into the stillness that fell. " _Who_ hurt Reda?" The golem looked at her and when she spoke, the world seemed to fall out from under the Grey Warden.

"Kal-Sharok."


	8. Chapter 8

**Stubborn**

" _What_ did she say?"

Varric had never thought to see Spymistress Leliana dumbfounded. But there it was. If the subject had been just a little bit less horrific, he might have made a joke. But... as it was? This was not a joking matter. Many called Leliana cold and hard, but Varric knew she wasn't entirely. At least... not yet. If she ever did go fully cold, he wanted to stay far, far away from her.

"She says she is taking care of orphans. Orzammar is not kind to unwanted children." Varric said quietly. Everyone in the room was eyeing him and he grimaced. "I know we have a big problem with the Breach. But can we _ignore_ this?"

"We may not have a choice." Commander Cullen's voice was neutral. He wasn't really arguing. Cullen had been a Templar. Indeed, Varric had met him in passing in Kirkwall during the mess there. Cullen was the designated commander of the Inquisition's military forces and he took his job very seriously. But he also knew his limits. Varric liked him, most of the time. "We don't have the manpower to send an expedition into the Deep Roads."

"Not to mention, if we start violating Orzammar's territory..." Josephine started and then paused. "No, they do not claim the Deep Roads, do they?"

Varric nodded to the ambassador. She had a very hard job, but Josephine Montilyet was up to the challenge. She was also a kind hearted woman and her face was stricken by Varric's news.

"They _do_." Leliana said with a scowl. "But they cannot enforce it. The thaigs that they have reclaimed from the darkspawn are as far as their reach extends. There are other groups out there that go further. I know that Kal-Sharok is still active in the area..." She trailed off as Varric made a face. "Varric?"

"Do _not_ ask Reda about Kal-Sharok." Varric said quietly. "I do not know what happened to her there, but whatever it was, it wasn't good." The three humans looked at one another. "You may think you know vindictive, but you _don't_ until you have dealt with dwarves. They hurt her. I am not sure how or why but they did."

"Our options are limited, Varric." Cullen said with a scowl. "I feel for children in danger, but there is not lot we can do."

"I know." Varric said with a sigh. "I just figured you all needed to know. The Herald too. But...where is she? I thought she would be here."

"She worked out another enhancement for our soldier's armor and was trying it out with Harrin." Cullen frowned and all of the others in the room winced. "And no, this time he will _not_ shoot her with a _crossbow_."

"I can see the need to show her courage..." Josephine said slowly. "...but that was _insane_."

"It is not so much that." Cullen retorted evenly. Then he scoffed. "Don't get me wrong, I think she _is_ nuts on occasion. But that? She had to test it with a live person inside it to make sure it would work safely. She wasn't going to delegate it. At least the hit wasn't square and the healers tended her swiftly."

"We do _not_ need those kinds of heart attacks. She is the only one who can seal the breaches." Varric said with feeling and the others nodded. "She has more courage than sense at times."

"Varric,..." Leliana said with a sad smile. "She was a young daughter of a minor house. No one paid her any attention before. Now? The _world_ is riding on her. It is a credit to her family and her tutors that she hasn't become arrogant. Indeed, if anything, she has gone too far in the other direction. It is possible to be too _humble_." She paused as the door to the war room opened and a familiar form in armor stepped in. "Ah, Cassandra."

Varric eased to the side, as far from Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast as he could get. He did not like her and the feeling was often mutual. Then again, Seekers of Truth were like Templars taken to a whole new level. Varric had only ever really met _her_ , but he had seen Lord Seeker Lucius and had a sneaking suspicion that Cassandra was actually fairly _moderate_ for her order. That scared him at times. She was _more_ than enough.

"I came as quickly as I could." Cassandra said firmly, looking around. "Your missive said it was urgent. Wait. Where is the Herald?"

"I thought she was with you." Leliana's voice had turned flat. "You were supervising the test."

"I did." Cassandra reassured the woman who was -had been anyway- the Left Hand of the Divine. "The enhancement works and no, I did _not_ let her act as a target this time." She said with a scowl. The others smiled and relaxed a bit. "But she left before me. I was talking with Harrin about swords when your messenger found me. She isn't here?"

Leliana growled something under her breath and moved to the door. She muttered something and a half seen form flitted away.

"We will find her." Leliana said with a scowl. "Varric has some...interesting news about our royal guest."

"Call her royalty to her face and she will likely try to hurt you." Varric said quietly. "I know hate when I see it and _she_ hates Orzammar. More than _me_ and that is saying something." Cassandra looked at him and he half snarled at her. "Don't start."

"I too know about the downsides of royalty." The Seeker's words were -wonder of wonders- _sad_. "How is she, Varric?" The simple sincerity in her words shook the dwarf and he took a moment before responding.

"Physically, she has a hole in her upper left chest." Varric said bluntly. "I have no idea why Biana's bolt hit her. I have been wracking my brain, trying to understand why it happened. I mean, this is what I _do_. Shoot things."

"You are the only one who saw what happened, Varric." Leliana said quietly. "The others saw you fire and assumed you aimed at a demon."

"I did." Varric nodded. " A wraith had been potshotting from the side and I wanted it gone, so I fired a Lance at it. There was solid material behind the target. I made sure of that. Sometimes the bolts home in on targets I can't see near my designated target, but she wasn't anywhere _near_ my target. It turned and went straight for her." He shook his head. "I haven't been able to reproduce what happened."

"Having a crossbow that can shoot around corners might be useful." Cullen said with a frown.

"I want to be sure that I will _hit_ what I _aim_ at and nothing more." Varric felt annoyance start to rise. "Bianca is dangerous enough when she does what I tell her. If she starts doing her own thing?" He shuddered.

"Fair enough." Leliana quashed any further attempts to question him about Bianca. He was reasonably sure the spymistress knew all about the bow and it's maker, but he was also sure she would say nothing. She was an archer herself. She knew how dangerous Bianca was. _Both_ of them, the bow and whoever created it. "Cassandra. Varric says that Lady Reda is agitating to return to the Deep Roads."

"Is she going to be capable of movement?" Cassandra asked slowly. The humans shook their heads. Varric nodded. "Varric?"

"You need to understand... Take any human fanatic you have ever met. Make them utterly incapable of original thought. Give them a cause to believe in. In some cases give them ale, then turn them loose. That is most dwarves that do not live on the surface." Varric was being blunt but there and now? These people did not want flowery speeches. They wanted facts. "You have met them, Leliana. You went to Orzammar during the Firth Blight." He froze as the spymistress' face suddenly showed desolation. He opened his mouth to apologize, but her face cleared. Dang it! He had forgotten that she and the Hero of Ferelden had died had been very close. He shook himself and continued. "If she has to crawl to a tunnel access, she will. If she has to dig through a league of rock, she will." He slumped. "Or die trying anyway."

"And she is doing this for an oath she swore to the one who betrayed her." Cassandra said slowly. Varric shook his head. "What then?"

"Behlen didn't go anywhere _near_ her." Varric said with feeling. "If he _had_? She would have torn his throat out with her _teeth_ , guards or no guards. I talked with her a bit. I learned...a bit. It filled in a lot of gaps in tales I had heard. The Lord-General Pyral Harrowmont took her oath to never return to Orzammar. She went into the Deep Roads thinking to find some Grey Wardens that she had heard were in the area. She never found them. So, she went looking for death and _it_ never found _her_."

"Maker..." Cassandra swallowed hard and nodded. "So now?"

"Now?" Varric heaved a sigh. "She says there are orphans that she is taking care of. Orzammar is not kind to unwanted children, even of nobles. She did mention one name that is sort of familiar, but I cannot place it. I know the house, but I do not know the name. I don't think." He mused.

"What name?" Leliana and Cassandra said in unison. They looked at each other and smiled a little, but focused on Varric.

"Shayle of House Cadash." Varric was focused on Cassandra, which is why he missed Leliana's double take. "I meant the Cadash dwarves are Carta, but..." He trailed off as Cassandra tilted her head looking at Leliana who had paled. "Leliana?"

"Reda knows _Shayle_?" The normally unflappable spymistress seemed about to cry.

"So she says." Varric shrugged. "I mean, I don't get a lot of what Reda says about the other. I don't even know if is a man or a woman."

"Shayle of House Cadash is a woman. _Was_ a woman." Leliana corrected herself grimly. "You will know her by another title. 'The Warden's Golem'."

" _A golem?_ " The incredulous words came from Cullen, Cassandra, Josephine _and_ Varric.

"We found her in a small town called Honnleath during the Blight." Leliana wasn't looking at them. She was staring off into the distance at something only she could see. "She had been a slave to a mage. She wasn't _bad_. She just had limits beyond which it was _unwise_ to push her." Leliana bowed her head. "She fought beside us, into the abomination filled Circle tower, into the Deep Roads, into the Dalish forest, into Redcliffe, all the way to Denerim. Complaining all the way, mind you. But she was with us. She helped hold the gate against the darkspawn horde when we went in after the Archdemon. So many fell, but she came through. After..." She took a deep ragged breath and Cassandra seemed about to take a step towards her. "I am all right!"

"No, you are not." Varric said quietly. "Grief is hard, Sister Leliana." She smiled a bit forlornly but then gave herself a shake. "What happened to Shayle?"

"She was going to go back to the Deep Roads, try to find out more about her past." Leliana said with a shrug, wiping her face with a quick hand. "As far as anyone knew, she vanished."

"I hadn't heard anything about that." Varric admitted. "Then again..." He paused as a knock came at the door. "What now?"

Leliana moved to the door and it opened a crack. A muffled voice spoke and she stiffened.

"It seems the Herald is talking to our guest."

* * *

 **Haven Infirmary**

Everything hurt. Her side and chest were on fire, but she had to do this. She had to. She swung her legs off the bed and slowly, so slowly, eased them to the floor. She ignored the scrutiny she was under. The human had come in to find her curled up in agony on the floor. Despite Reda's feeble struggles, the human had put her back in the bed.

"Please don't do that again." The human woman begged. "You will hurt yourself."

Reda ignored the woman. Her feet touched the floor and she eased onto them. But as soon as she rose fully upright, the pain soared up and grabbed her. Strong hands took hold again and eased her back to the bed.

"Milady, _please_." The human begged. "Please let us help you." Reda was gasping for breath as she lay. When she could see again, the human was sitting beside her on the bed. "Deep breaths. In and out. Slow and easy. Don't strain the muscles." She laid Reda's tablet by her hand. "Come on, write. Communicate to me."

Reda's hand was shaking badly as she swiped her tablet on and wrote. 'Nothing to say.'

"Well, _I_ have something to say." The human said firmly. "But first, I don't know if you heard me introduce myself. My name is Evelyn Trevelyan..." She smiled as Reda goggled at her. "Yes, I am the one they call the 'Herald of Andraste'." As if to punctuate her words, her hand was suddenly glowing. She glared down at it. "Dang thing won't stop when I want it to."

'Reda.' The dwarf wrote, trying with all her might to keep her hand from trembling.

"Reda, you are _very_ badly hurt." Evelyn said firmly. "You are not going to be able to _move_ until and unless we can heal the damage. You keep tearing the stitches and you _will_ start to bleed internally. Even dwarves can bleed out." She shook her head. "Are you truly so eager for death?"

'No." Reda admitted. 'But I have a duty.'

"So do I." Evelyn said quietly. " _My_ duty is to try to help the Inquisition curb the madness and chaos, try to return order to the world." She scoffed. "No pressure, huh?" Reda had to chuckle at the human's tone, but that hurt too. "You were hurt by the actions of people under my command- No, let me finish." She commanded and Reda paused in what she had been writing. "I am an agent of the Inquisition, but in the field, I am in command. _I_ bear responsibility for what happens, both good and bad. What happened to you is _my_ responsibility. Not Varric's. He was acting under _my_ orders."

'Not his.' Reda agreed. 'No idea why it happened.'

"We don't know either but rest assured we will work to find out." The Herald said calmly. "But that leaves us with you. You are in critical condition, you cannot _walk_ let alone fight. Sending you into the Deep Roads as you are, escorted or not, would be murder plain and simple. We have some problems on the surface as well."

'I have seen the Breach.' Reda wrote, her strength coming back a little.

"It is sealed temporarily." Evelyn said with a shrug. "But closing it for good will require a _lot_ more power than the Inquisition can muster currently. I am going to talk to some mages shortly. I hope to get their aid in closing it."

'I wish you luck.' Reda wrote. 'But-' She stopped writing as the Herald patter her hand.

"Since coming here, I have been learning as much as I can, _about_ as much as I can." Evelyn said with a frown. "I never knew just how much there was to learn until I started. I was never a good student as a child. Always far too busy practicing my swordwork to sit and study." Reda scoffed and Evelyn smiled. "You too huh?" Reda nodded and Evelyn smiled as she continued. "One of the books I have been working my way through recently is a history of the Fifth Blight." She looked at Reda. "Do you know what happened?"

'Some.' Reda wrote. 'The darkspawn rose and attacked the surface. The Grey Wardens came to Orzammar and made Behlen king." She fought to keep her features still, but likely did not manage it well. "Some of the dwarven armies marched to aid the humans and the Archdemon was killed at Denerim by the Grey Wardens. The remaining darkspawn fled back underground where they are breeding more by the day."

"Succinctly put." Evelyn said with a smile that faded. "After the battle of Denerim, there was a godsawful mess left. Thousands dead and wounded, the city in flames. Many dwarves fell in battle and others were too badly hurt to travel back to Orzammar. Indeed, there were not enough wagons to carry the injured." Reda looked at the human and Evelyn smiled. "So, the humans adapted. We are good at that at times. Magic won't work on your people, so they came up with alternative treatments."

'That was ten years ago.' Reda wrote slowly.

"That it was." Evelyn agreed. "But the materials still exist and the staff... some of them are still around." Now her smile went wide. "And wonder of wonders... Some of them moved to Redcliffe."

'I do not know the surface.' Reda admitted. 'Where is Redcliffe?'

"Redcliffe is where _I_ have to go to talk to some rebel mages." The Herald's grin was ear to ear now. "So... up for a trip?"

'I...guess.' Read wrote carefully. 'But I still need to get back. I don't know if Varric said...'

"Varric hasn't told me anything." Evelyn said with a shrug. "Haven't talked to him."

"Not for lack of my trying." Varric's voice had both women jumping. Both turned to see the door had opened while the two talked. Varric stood with three humans that Reda did not know. The other dwarf was shaking her head. "What silliness are you getting up to now, you crazy human?"

"Leliana?" The Herald focused on a woman who stood slightly behind the others. "After the Blight, what happened to the Royal Medical Corps?" The woman froze and then slowly nodded with a smile. "Three of them settled near Redcliffe. We need to see if any are available."

"Are you looking for who I _think_ you are looking for?" Leliana asked slowly. Evelyn nodded and the other woman blew out a deep breath. "Okay. _You_ get to explain it to her."

'What?' Reda asked, but Evelyn smiled at her again.

"Not you." The Herald of Andraste said with a gulp. "But the former head medical officer of the dwarven branch of the Corps is a _character_ by all accounts."

"Her name is Felsi."


	9. Chapter 9

**Pain**

In everything there were limits and Reda was finding hers.

Reda hadn't been sure about this at all. To be carried was degrading. To be _sedated_ to be carried was worse. The only upside to any of this was that the Herald and the others had all promised to ward her through this. They all understood that she was sworn. That she was dedicated to a cause. She... grudgingly trusted Varric and the human who called herself Evelyn. Neither had acted in any way but kindly to her. But not all the way.

She had refused to be completely unconscious for the journey and had demanded her gear. Several of the others had balked at that, but Evelyn and Varric had stood firm and eventually, she had been given her pack with all of its assorted things. With the massive bandages that covered her chest front and back, she couldn't fit in her armor, but she felt better with her sword and other weapons close at hand. She had checked and while some of her things were not where she had left them, everything was there.

Part of her had kind of hoped that Korbin would be along, but he Legionnaire had been sent off on another mission. He had come to wish her well. She had been touched by that. The Legion didn't act that way in her experience. They were sworn to die fighting, it was what they were. It was all they were. She admired them for that. Kal-Sharok had its own version, the Rock Knockers, but they were less straight-laced. She had never really gotten along with them.

Of course, _anyone_ from Kal-Sharok in her opinion was a _liar_ at best and someone to be gutted slowly with a _dull_ knife at worst. She didn't hate them as much as she hated her brother, but she _did_ hate them.

The pain was never-ending, but she clenched her teeth and bore it. She knew pain well. It was her life. Every so often, Varric would stop by the wagon she was riding in and offer her water. She wouldn't take it from anyone else, not even Evelyn. Her refusal hurt the human woman, but Reda could not trust. She carefully tasted each drink that Varric gave her. Each held the same mix of minor painkiller and water. She never tasted anything else. But she spent the trip in a half doze, trying to focus her mind past the pain.

It came as no surprise that when she was woken from her doze by a loud female voice that her first instinct was to reach for her sword.

"None of _that_!" The female voice snapped and a hand grabbed hers. Suddenly, something stung her elbow and she couldn't move her hands. Then, just as suddenly, she was weak. So very weak. She couldn't move at _all_. "Idiots, all of you warriors are _idiots!_ " A red hot poker slammed into Reda's shoulder and she bit back a groan. "How long has it been this bad?"

"It wasn't that bad when we left." Varric. This was Varic's voice. But it seemed to come from far away. He was worried. "A day and a half. She refused to be sedated."

"Ah! Not _another_! I thought I was _done_ with Stone cracked _fools_." The other female snapped, irate. "Get her inside!" A sense of motion came and Reda felt her stomach start to rebel. "Tara, a basin!"

Reda was shuddering as her stomach had its way, but someone turned her head and the mess landed in a basin that materialized beside her.

"Easy." A young voice sounded from close at hand. "It's okay, Ma'am. Let it happen. It isn't a voluntary reflex."

"Don't _coddle_ her, Tara." The female who sounded in charge snapped. "She is a warrior. She won't appreciate _anyone_ being nice to her. They never _do_. Mak and I need to scrub. Get her ready."

"We will leave a team of guards." Varric said from nearby as gentle hands started pulling articles of clothing from Reda. She tried to move, tried to fight. She couldn't.

"Get _out_!" The female snapped at him. "This is not a _bar_ or a _brothel_ , Varric Tethras. You have no _business_ here."

"She is our responsibility, Healer Felsi." Varric replied calmly. "The guards will remain outside."

"They _better_ or I will take it out of your _hide_. Out!" The one called Felsi retorted. "Tara, check her temperature." The sound of running water came as something cold went somewhere _very_ uncomfortable. Then the feeling vanished before Reda could muster the will to protest.

"39, Healer." The one called Tara said, her tone worried. "That is too high."

"You forget who we are dealing with. Only one of the warriors could be so boneheaded as to ignore an infected wound." Felsi said with a snort. "Trust me, she can take it. We deal with the chest then check her over for other problems." The healer's voice mollified. "Lady Reda, Varric said your name is? We can help you, but you _have_ to sleep through it. By blood and by steel, you will come to no harm if the Stone wills it. If the Stone _does_ call you home, you will go with our blessing. But _until_ then, we _will_ do battle on your behalf. Stone met, warrior, sister. We fight for you."

Reda jerked. That was an oath she knew. A binding one.

"You need to sleep now, Lady Reda." The healer said in a voice that was kinder. "I don't know who you are and I don't _care_. I made an oath to myself that I would tend any who came to my door." She snorted. "Even if you _were_ brought by that no account Tethras."

"Operating theatre is ready, Healer." A male voice sounded.

"Okay, Tara, get the mask and ether." A hand found Reda's and gave a squeeze. "Rest now, Lady Reda. You are in good hands."

Something settled over Reda's nose and mouth. She was trying to work up the energy to protest when an odd smell came and she was pulled into blackness.

* * *

 **Four hours later**

Felsi sat beside her patient's bed and tried not to sigh. She had done all she could. Now it was in the hands of the Stone or the Maker that the surfacers prayed to. She had never really been a religious person and she had taken enough knocks in her life to have a _very_ dim view of the rest of her kind. But right now? She was praying.

"Healer?" Tara's voice sounded from nearby and Felsi smiled as the girl brought a tray in for her. "You missed dinner." She set the tray on the sole table in the room.

"You spoil me too much, girl and I am going to get _fat_." Felsi had tried to keep her distance from her co-workers. But working day in and day out in horrible conditions had forged a bond that nothing she knew of could break except death. Even now, her mind shied away from the memories of Denerim and after. Too many lives lost. But _this_ one she would not lose! She shook her head and reached for the tray. "You saw."

"Mak did to, but I don't think he understood what he saw." Tara said weakly. "That was intentional, wasn't it? The damage?"

"I think so." Felsi said with a sigh as she buttered a roll. She needed the food, no matter how her stomach rebelled. She had to eat. Lady Reda needed her. "At least you all make better food than the taverns I worked in." Tara looked at her and Felsi chuckled. "Then again, a brain dead _nug_ could make better food than _some_ of the taverns I worked in."

"Why _thank_ you. We do what we can." Tara said softly. "Seriously. Can we repair the damage?"

"The shoulder? Yes. Now that the infection is handled, the rest of it is fairly straightforward. The throat, maybe." Felsi said with a grunt as she stuffed a piece of meat into her mouth and chewed. She swallowed before continuing. "The rest? No."

Tara slumped but nodded. Felsi had trained her coworkers well in the horrible aftermath of the Battle of Denerim. None of them liked it, but all of them knew that there were limits to what they could do.

"Do the Inquisition people know?" Tara asked softly. Felsi shook her head. "Should we tell them?"

"If they don't know? No. It is not our business or theirs." Felsi said with a shake of her head as she drank from her glass. One of the things she really liked about the surface was the variety of milk available. Ale got _old_ and it detracted from her ability to keep her hands steady, a must in her profession. "It is _her_ business."

"Will you stay with her?" Tara asked. "I can bring you a blanket." Felsi just looked at her and the younger dwarf raised her hands in surrender. "I was just _asking_!"

"Go on home, Tara." Felsi said softly. "Thank you for coming so quickly. I know your two kids need you."

"They do, but this was needed as well. It has been a long time, but the oaths hold." Tara bowed her head. "It felt good to heal again. I hope it works out." She bent down and kissed Felsi's cheek, then scampered as Felsi swatted at her. So there was no one there to hear when Felsi spoke again.

"Yeah." The healer said softly. "Me too."

* * *

 **VERY early the next morning**

Reda felt odd when she woke. She was awake, but she wasn't. She stared around incurious. She lay on a small bed in a small room. A dwarf woman she did not know slept in a chair next to the bed. Other than that, there was nothing else in the room. Reda's sword lay on the bed beside her as well as her tablet. She stared at her things and then down at herself. Her chest was bare except for a bandage over where she had been wounded by Varric's bolt. Her shoulder ached but it didn't _hurt_ anymore. That was a vast improvement. But she felt so odd. She had never felt like this that she knew of. Feathery? Was that a word? She wasn't sure.

"We had to dose you fairly heavy to keep you out while we treated your shoulder." Reda felt surprise that the woman was awake, but it didn't -quite- penetrate whatever fog held her. She knew she should be afraid, be angry. But she wasn't. The other dwarf nodded to her. "You are in no danger here, Lady Reda. No one will pry into your past. No one here cares about your secrets. All we care about is healing."

Reda reached for her tablet and her hand moved slowly, so slowly. But a wipe and it activated as always. She worked to frame a question. 'Who are you?'

"My name is Felsi." The other said with a nod. "I am a healer. I trained how to heal our kind after the battle of Denerim. It was a mess." She looked away and Reda could almost feel her sorrow. "When all of our patients had recovered, they went back underground and we were demobilized. Most of us wanted to put the memories behind us, but all of us kept in touch. Every so often since then, we have been called to help injured of our kind. Since magic doesn't work, we found other ways."

'What did you do?' Reda asked, staring at the small bandage on her shoulder.

"When our people have access to the Stone, we heal very quickly." Felsi said quietly. Reda nodded a little and the other continued. "So, I found a way to give you some of the Stone's strength." Reda stared and the healer shrugged. "It is technical, but essentially, I put you back together and convinced your body to heal. Nothing more."

'That is amazing.' Reda wrote. 'How much will it cost?' Felsi shook her head and Reda stiffened. 'It has to cost.'

"It does." Felsi agreed. "But it has been paid for. Varric Tethras and the Inquisition paid for what was needed. I just did as I was trained. It has been a long time since I saved a life. It feels good to do it again."

'I was dying?' Reda asked. Fesi nodded. 'How bad...?'

"Your wound was infected and you had the beginnings of blood poisoning." Felsi said quietly. "Luckily, we had all that we needed here except some lyrium." Reda stared at her and then at her shoulder again. "You will be all right if you let yourself heal."

'How long?' Reda asked.

"A couple of days." Felsi said and nodded when Reda made a face. "I know you want to be moving now, but we used a lot of your body's energy reserves to heal you. You will not be able to move far or fast today and probably tomorrow. If you do what I say, you can be out of here in two days. Don't and you could be here into next month. Or you can go to the Stone. Your choice but I would prefer you not leap to _die_ after the effort we made to help you."

'I don't know what to say." Reda wrote slowly. 'Thank you?'

"You may change your mind after what I say next." Felsi said softly. Reda went still and the healer nodded. "I am bound to aid my patients. I am bound not to divulge any information that I may glean from them. I learned not to ask questions early on in my training. But Lady Reda..." To the bedridden warrior's astonishment, the other dwarf seemed almost in tears. " _Who_ did that to you?" She begged. "Tell me they didn't get _away_ with it!" She pleaded.

'They didn't.' Reda wrote slowly.

"Good." The healer's tone was more akin to a warrior at the moment. "I am pledged to heal, to save lives, but I am also a _dwarf_. _And_ a _woman_. Tell me they _suffered!_ " She snapped.

'I made it quick.' Reda wrote with a frown. Felsi's reaction seemed excessive. 'I had no time and little choice. I killed them quickly.'

"Better than they _deserved_." Felsi said with a growl. Then she shook herself. "Sorry, I get worked up about such things. No one ever dared do such to _me_ , but... as a healer I have seen such things. When I was in Orzammar. On the surface. I saw the results every day." She shook her head. "Sorry."

'No offense was taken healer.' Reda wrote with a small, sad smile. 'It was long time ago. I still... feel it. But I have moved on.'

"Good." Felsi said with a grunt. "There is nothing I can do for _that_ damage. Too much was done and it healed all wrong." Reda nodded but the healer's next words had her reeling. "But your throat..."

'My throat?' Reda wrote. 'My voice is gone. I cannot speak.'

"Actually, your voice is _damaged_." Felsi said with a sigh. "Same people?" Reda nodded and Felsi growled something vile under her breath. "Pity I cannot bring them back to life and _kill them_ all over again. Scum wanted you silenced."

'They didn't want to kill me.' Reda wrote, her hand shaking a bit as the memory flooded in. 'But I had to 'know my place'.' Felsi gasped at that and Reda bowed her head. 'I was a prisoner. A slave in all but name.'

" _Bastards!_ " Felsi snarled, but then she shook herself again. "I may be able to do something with your voice. I cannot guarantee anything after all this time, but scar tissue seems to be what is blocking your voice. The actual damage did not hit your vocal apparatus. Whoever did it was _sloppy_ as hell."

'He was _busy_.' Reda wrote. 'I had his boss' family jewels in my teeth at the time. And no, he _didn't_ get them back.'

" _Good girl_." Felsi said with a grin that Reda shared. But then she sobered. "I cannot promise anything. The other repairs were fairly straightforward. But this... your airway is _right by_ your voice box. I cannot guarantee it will work and I _can_ guarantee it would be extremely uncomfortable for you for a time."

'What would you do?' Reda asked, curious despite herself.

"We would need to bypass your voice box for a bit, so I would install a shunt that would allow air to enter through your neck instead of your mouth." Felsi said calmly. "Then I would do a procedure to remove the scar tissue..."

Reda wasn't sure about this. But one thing she _was_ sure about. Felsi knew what she was doing.

* * *

 **Nearby**

 _It_ _is_ _her._

The shadowed form stepped away from the concealed cranny that was out of the line of sight of the guards at the door to the healer facility and swallowed hard.

 _The mark to_ _end_ _all marks! My payday is finally here! The king will pay through the nose for_ _this_ _information! I might even be able to afford a new apartment out of Dusttown!_

He wasn't a complete imbecile. He was careful as he left the guarded area. He was garbed as a servant, which made sense. He _was_ one. He had never understood why the boss had ordered him to come out here and keep an eye on these people. He had often wondered if it was a punishment. What they did was disgusting. Admittedly, it wasn't nug wrangling or mushroom farming. But still... It was gross, what the healers did. As bad as some of what the Carta did was... what the _healers_ did was _worse_ in some way. More...clinical. Less emotion. Less brutal, but just as gory on occasion.

He was halfway to his quarters and the hidden messenger bird that would send the note he was constructing in his mind to his bosses when _healer Tara_ stepped out of the shadows ahead of him. He stilled.

"Hi Tara, you are out late." He managed to say. His hand was on his dagger. _Hers_ were in plain sight.

"I never suspected." Tara said softly. "I should have. Mak warned me. I didn't want to believe."

"What do you-?" He never finished the sentence. A flash caught his eye from the side, but too late.

Before he could move, he felt pain arc across his throat then a bubbling wetness start to fall. An iron grip grasped his arm and pulled him further into the shadows. He stared up at the tattooed face of his killer and had a moment to wonder before the final darkness called him back to the Stone.

 _Why would a_ _Silent_ _Sister_ _...?_

Then it -and _he_ \- was gone.


	10. Chapter 10

**Working through it**

The guards at the gate of Sharokovar thaig were dumbfounded when the somewhat battered female dwarf in blood drenched Grey Warden armor simply walked up to the gate and rapped on it. The thaig wasn't hidden per say, it was just hard to find and far away from Orzammar in the labyrinth that was the Deep Roads. It was well defended since, well, it was in the Deep Roads.

"Go away!" The head guard said gruffly from his tower overlooking the gate. His accent was thick, but the words were understandable.

"I need to talk to your Assembly." The Grey Warden said firmly. "My name is Sigrun."

"I said 'Go away', woman!" The guard snapped. "Are you hard of hearing?"

"'Woman', is it?" Sigrun said softly and then she shook her head. "I am trying to do this the polite way." The outsider said firmly. "But if you send me away unheard, I will have to report to my superiors that you are disregarding our Order. We try to help out when we can, but we are spread all over Thedas. Too thin. They will likely pull all of our support from your people. After all, there is only so much that we can do. And if you do not want us here, then we will leave. There are a lot of Deep Roads for us to kill darkspawn in after all. All I want to do is deliver a message. Nothing more. Then I will _leave_ and you inbred fools can _play_ with each other to your hearts' _content_."

"Leave or _die!_ " The guard shouted. "Archers-!" Whatever else he was going to say was cut off as a huge rock impacted the gate directly under his head. Shards of stone flew everywhere and the guards ducked for cover. Sigrun did not move. Everything stopped as a huge form stepped out of the shadows that Sigrun had come from. It had another large rock in hand.

" ** _If it wants to be_** ** _stupid_** ** _, feel free._** " Shayle said in a dreadful voice. " ** _The message_** ** _will_** ** _be delivered one way or another._** " She hefted the rock, ready to throw. " ** _This one can send the message_** ** _this_** ** _way. How much of your thaig do you wish to remain_** ** _standing_** ** _?_** "

"Shayle." Sigrun said quietly and the golem retreated a step. "We deliver it. No more. They get _nothing_ more." More than one of the watching guards shivered at the Warden's cold, dead tone. "What is it going to be?" Sigrun asked the head guard who was staring at her in shock.

"Do _I_ deliver the message or does _Shayle_?"

* * *

 **Ten fairly tense minutes later**

"What is the meaning of this?" The loud voice silenced the hubbub as Sigrun was escorted into a large hall. "What have you attacked us, Grey Warden?"

"My name is Sigrun and _I_ have not attacked you." Sigrun said calmly despite the room filled with animosity. "Your guards were about to shoot _me_. My friend took offense. No harm was done except to your wall, and frankly? I couldn't care _less_ about your wall. I am here to deliver a message and then I am _gone_. I have more important things to do than deal with your nugs***."

"You come here, you demand to speak with us, your 'friend'..." The speaker emphasized the word heavily. '...damaged our fortifications. And now you insult us. Your diplomacy is... odd to say the least."

"I am no diplomat." Sigrun said softly. "And I haven't _begun_ to insult you."

"Then we have nothing to say to you, Grey Warden or no. Guards." The speaker said but broke off as Sigrun shook her head. "What?"

"The message is simple. Your western flank is no longer secure." A pin dropping in the room might have deafened everyone when Sigrun closed her mouth. "Be very glad the Wardens are apolitical." She shook her head and none dared to speak. "Of the things I might have expected from dwarves -And I expect a lot of bad from my kind, since I grew _up_ in Dusttown in _Orzammar_ \- this... _This_ makes me _sick_."

"I don't understand." One of the ladies near the back spoke up when no one else did. She swallowed as Sigrun's gaze landed on her but she held her ground. "Is Reda the Tunnel Ghost gone to the Stone?"

"What do you _care_?" Sigrun demanded. "You got what you _wanted_. She did as you demanded of her. What you _forced_ her to do."

"She was sworn to fight darkspawn until she died." The lady stammered as Sigrun glared at her. "We all knew this."

"Yes, she _was_." Sigrun admitted. "Of course, _that_ oath was sworn by Sereda Aeducan and _Sereda Aeducan_ **_died_** in a Kal Sharok _dungeon_."

" _What?_ " The shouted word went around the room and it took the spokesman several slams of his hammer on the stone table they were gathered around to restore order.

"Here is the final message from Reda." Sigrun threw a parchment onto the table where it sat. "I will summarize. It lets you know that she is no longer warding your western border. There is an addendum from her second in command. Who happens to be outside your gate with a big rock at the moment. Her brother's assassins killed three of her men, several others were wounded. But _more importantly_ , your _hold_ over her has been removed from where it was. The drugs you addicted them to have been countered. You will not _find_ them. So you cannot _threaten_ to kill them to force her compliance."

"What do you mean?" The lady who had spoken before asked, stunned.

"Was it a majority vote or just business as usual?" Sigrun asked the spokesman who did not move. "I get that she was an outsider, so she _didn't matter_. I get that you wanted to hurt her for what Orzammar did to you so long ago. I get that she _fought_ , tried to escape and killed several people who _brutalized_ her while she was a prisoner. But using those _kids_ against her like that... _That_ I don't get. That is the kind of thing her _brother_ would do. Or the _Carta_. I thought you were _better_ than that. I really did." She shook her head and started for the door. "I was wrong."

To her surprise, the dwarven lady who has spoken rose and moved to block the door. "Wait! Warden Sigrun, wait. This doesn't make _sense!_ " She bowed to Sigrun. "I am Kalina Gaz, Paragon of Gaz Thaig."

"No?" Sigrun asked. "Ask the spokesman." All eyes landed on the one who had been leading the assembly meeting and he froze. "Reda kept a journal. In it, she names a number of people that she will kill if she ever gets the chance. Her brother is at the top of that list for framing her for the death of her eldest brother and getting her exiled from Orzammar in order to grab the throne. She never cared for the throne. She _cared_ about all the people her brother hurt. All the orphaned kids that were left for her to tend."

"What?" Lady Gaz asked, stunned. "I know nothing of this." She stared around but most of the faces were equally stunned. A few though...were blank. "Spokesman Holiim?"

"She is an outsider. She lies." The spokesman said firmly. "Grey Warden or no, you lie."

"Do I?" Sigrun asked as she started for the door again. "Then you have _nothing_ to worry about, do you?" She paused at the threshold. "Except for the fact that with the kids safe, there is _nothing_ that is keeping Reda from _finding_ the _others_ who were _responsible_ for throwing that crying little boy into her _cell_."

" _What_?" Lady Gaz actually shouted.

"He didn't tell you?" Sigrun asked, to all appearances calm. "That is how the ones who did it got her compliance. How they _forced_ her compliance. They threw a year old _baby boy_ into her cell and said they would kill the child and others if she didn't do as they wished. That was, of course, after they had her _mutilated_. Destroyed her voice and took her _reproductive organs_ from her." The Grey Warden's voice cracked a little. "I am held to a higher standard. I _cannot_ do as my conscience demands. But _you_ should be afraid now. Be _very_ afraid. For your slave soldier is a _slave_ no _longer_. And she is **_pissed_**." She shook her head. "Can't blame her."

"I... don't understand." Lady Gaz said softly, stunned. "Reda is a hero."

"She was a _slave!_ " Sigrun snapped and the entire chamber went deathly still. "I never knew her. I knew Shayle but never Reda. I wish... I wish I had. She seemed a decent sort. She might have done what you forced her to do anyway, but whoever did it..." She glared at the spokesman who seemed to wilt under the eyes of his fellows. "...had to be sure that she complied." She sighed. "I have to go. If I am not out of your gates by the time the next sandglass turns over, Shayle _will_ start throwing rocks. And not the _little one_ she used to get your guards' attention."

"Walk with me." Lady Gaz said formally as she started for the door. Sigrun looked at her and then matched her pace. The halls were empty but the lady did not speak until the left the building. "I... do not know what to say, Warden. I met her. She seemed... distant. Cold."

"She trusted." Sigrun said sadly. "She trusted that your people would treat her honorably so she did not fight when they found her in the Deep Roads. Instead? They _chained_ her in a hole, treated her like an _animal_. Then they hurt her repeatedly. Because they _could_. When she had the means to fight back, she did. I would have done the same. So, they mutilated her and then used her sense of decency and duty to force her to fight for them." The dwarven warden shook her head. "She was alive when last I saw her. But she is gone beyond the reach of anyone from Orzammar or Kal Sharok."

"I am glad." The dwarf lady said quietly. Sigrun looked at her and Kalina scowled. "My thaig borders the western boundary. She came to us for supplies a few times a season. Her brother's agents attacked her once in my thaig. The survivor was most forthcoming when put to the question." She continued walking and Sigrun could see the gate in the distance. Still intact. Shayle hadn't started anything. Yet. "Is there anything I can do?" She asked. Sigrun stared at her and Kalina grimaced. "Trust is hard to restore when violated. But she served us well. She _fought_ and _bled_ for us. No matter _why_ she did so, she _did_ it. We _owe_ her."

"Not all of your people will agree." Sigrun said mildly.

"I don't _care_." Kalina Gaz said with a snap. "Several of my thaig served with her. Four of them fell serving with her. She was always dutiful to them. They said she always paid more attention to _their_ needs than _hers_."

"Yeah." Sigrun said with a sigh. "Sounds like what I knew of her." Kalina looked at her and Sigrun shrugged. "I lived in Orzammar. I saw her a few times. Heard stories. Then I joined the Legion. Then I joined the _Grey Wardens_." She chuckled without mirth. "Overachiever. That is me."

"I could not have delivered such a message and not killed someone." Kalina said quietly. Sigrun shrugged but Kalina was not mollified."Who did that to her?"

"She named a number of names in her journal." Sigrun replied just as quietly. "Most of those she killed when she tried to escape after they tore her future from her belly and took her voice. But from a few of your peers' reactions..." She trailed off as Kalina hissed.

"They knew." The Paragon bowed her head. "Muck brained nug shitters!" Sigrun stared at the other, mildly surprised by the profanity. "What the _hell_ were they _thinking_?"

"You are not like any Paragon I have ever heard of." Sigrun said mildly as they approached the gate.

"Good. I don't want to be anything like the Stone cracked fools in Orzammar." Kalina's face was twisted in thought. "I didn't know. I should have.. I should have asked." The gate ahead opened, but none of the guards showed themselves. Shayle had probably been amusing herself by scaring them. "Are the kids safe?" She nearly begged.

"For now." Sigrun admitted. "We don't know if the youngest will survive. The poison was..." She broke off as Kalina paled. "Oh yes. Whoever did this poisoned _all_ of them. Every so often a shipment of antidote was sent to her but the smallest of the them were always vulnerable. She lost half a dozen over the years."

"That is _evil._ " The Paragon's face was slowly turning red. "Small wonder she is angry."

"Yeah." Sigrun might have been part of the rock around her for as much emotion she was showing.

"I give you my _word_ , Warden Sigrun..." Paragon Kalina's tone might have shattered the rock under their feet. "I _will_ get to the bottom of this. You were right. This is... _sick_. I can _almost_ see forcing her to serve. But using _children_ to do it?"

"Orphans." Sigrun grunted. "And they were not _your_ people, so who the fuck cared?"

" _I_ care." Kalina said softly, but there was something in her words. "If you see Reda again, tell her 'I am sorry and I _will_ find out what happened. _Whoever_ did this, be they commoner or Paragon, _will_ face justice'." Sigrun just looked at her and Kalina's face flushed. "This travesty will hurt us all. Not the least of which if you Wardens deem us all evil. We have had to do...questionable things to survive. But _that?_ That is not questionable. That is _evil_." She shook her head. "And if I can stop it, I will." Sigrun looked at her and the Paragon scowled. "You know they wouldn't have _just_ done it to _Reda_."

"I hadn't thought of that." Sigrun admitted. "I have been... a little emotional since they told me."

"Understandable." Kalina nodded to the gate. "Where will you go?" Sigrun just looked at her and the Paragon flushed again. "I want to help."

Sigrun did not reply. She marched out the gate without a backwards glance. Kalina stared after the Warden, but Sigrun vanished into a darkened tunnel. A moment later, a large shadow unfolded from one wall and followed the Warden. Only after the gate closed did Kalina turn to see a group of her peers who had followed the pair.

"She knows." Kalina said softly. The others nodded. "She knows _all_ of it. You _idiots_." It had taken a vote of the Kal Sharok Assembly to do what had been done. "My father dissented, but you forced him to abstain when you could not make him agree to your way of thinking. He warned you it would come back to bite you." She shook her head. "It has. I am done. Good _bye_."

"Lady Gaz..." The spokesman said slowly.

" _Shut up, Holiim_!" Kalina snapped. "Warhelm was _right_. You are a _moron!_ I am going _home_ to make sure my thaig's defenses are in order. And to prepare my _heirs_. Your business matters are far less important." All of the others gasped. "Reda _will_ seek vengeance and she will be well within her rights to do so. You know it. _I_ know it. We cannot _stop_ what we cannot _see_." She shook her head. "You never told us about the children."

"They are not of our people!" Holiim snapped only to recoil as Kalina stepped forward and slapped him across the _face_.

" _AND THAT MAKES IT_ _ **RIGHT**_ _?_ " Kalina screamed at him. "Warden Sigrun was _right!_ You all make me _sick!_ " She slumped a bit and looked at her fellows. Some of them looked blank, but most of them looked horrified. Either by what had happened or by what Reda would do now that she was free. "What are we? What have we become when a group of young lives are simply bargaining chips?" She shook her head. "Way to act _Orzammar_ , fellow Assembly members. Way to go."

With that, she strode off, head bent.

"She knows too much." One of the older ones said into the silence that fell.

"So now we start _assassinating_ each other?" Another of the Assembly -one of the younger ones- said with a snap. "Just like Orzammar?" He shook his head and strode off after Kalina. Half a dozen others followed.

"What do we do now?" The remaining ones asked Hollim. He had no answer.

 **The Surface**

"Something you want to tell me, Tara?" Felsi asked as she finished cleaning her tools.

The procedure had gone swiftly. Even the chance of speaking again had immediately turned gotten Reda excited. She had begged for the work to be done as soon as possible. Felsi wasn't sure about it. There was a _lot_ of damage to Reda's throat. Right now? All they could do was wait and see.

"Not really." Tara said with sigh. "But if I don't, you will make my life miserable until I do. Herder Ziz was working for the Carta." Felsi gave a great sigh and Tara nodded. "He recognized Reda. He was going to report her. Mishana acted to protect us. He won't be found."

"I knew they would keep an eye on us just as the king did when he sent Mishana here." Felsi said with a scowl. "Sure, she needed the medical attention, but that doesn't explain why she _stayed_." Mishana had nearly lost an arm to an injury, Felsi and Tara's skill had saved her arm and her life.

A tap had then both turning. Both went still as they saw the armored Silent Sister standing behind them. She held Reda's tablet.

'This thing is **_cool_**.' Mishana wrote with a smile. ' ** _So_** much easier than writing on parchment.' But then her smiled faded.

'There is far more going on than you know.'


	11. Chapter 11

**Machinations**

Reda swam back to consciousness aware of murmurs. She couldn't quite pick them out, but they stopped as she opened her eyes. Felsi sat beside her bed and Tara stood by the door. Both looked a little anxious, but smiled as Reda smiled at them. Reda reached for her tablet, but it wasn't where it had been. She stiffened, but Felsi held it out to her.

"Someone borrowed it." Felsi said quietly. "They gave it back. They think it is the coolest use of lyrium they have ever seen." Reda looked at her and then at the tablet. It was unmarred. She swiped it on and froze. A line of text had not been cleaned from it.

'We need to talk'

"Damn her!" Felsi snapped as she saw the writing. "She wasn't supposed to do that!" Reda shook her head, but paused as she felt something different. She looked down, but couldn't see her neck. She reached for it, but Felsi caught her hand. "Don't touch." Felsi cautioned. "The new flesh is very delicate. It is bandaged, but you _could_ do damage."

Reda swallowed hard and it hurt. She nodded to Felsi and wiped the slate. Then she wrote slowly and carefully. 'Did it work?'

"I don't know, Reda." Felsi admitted. "For now? You need to let the incisions heal. We have accelerated your healing as much as we possibly could and we have exhausted your body's energy reserves. I shouldn't have done it so soon." She shook her head, but paused as Reda started to write again.

'Even if it doesn't work, Healer Felsi, thank you for trying.' Reda had tears in her eyes as she wrote. 'Thank you from the bottom of my heart.'

"You are welcome. But now... I warned you about the risks and the steps we will have to take to minimize them." Felsi said with a nod that Reda mirrored. "Forget solid food anytime soon. We have a good broth that Tara makes. It is hearty. It will help you recover. That is the good news."

'And the _bad_?' Reda asked, bracing herself.

"We have wired your mouth shut." Felsi said with a frown. Reda went still and the healer shook her head. "I know your kind, Reda. You give your oaths, but you _have_ to push even if it will hurt you. Maybe _especially_ if it will hurt you. It is not intentional, or insulting. It is just who and _what_ you are." She made a face. "At least you are not as bad as Oghren. _No one_ could _possibly_ be as bad a patient as he was." Reda looked at her oddly and Felsi groaned. "Never mind. Old news. You will be eating and drinking through a straw for the next couple of days."

'I see.' Reda wrote. 'Better than being _dead_.' She wrote with a smile. 'I do trust you.'

"And that is why I am going to say what I am about to." Felsi said quietly and Reda tensed. "I knew who you had been as soon as I saw your face. So did Tara. Mak, our assistant, took longer, but he figured it out. None of the rest of our staff had any close contact with you. But one of our tenants recognized you and he worked for the Carta." Reda jerked, but Felsi held up a hand. "I said 'worked'. He is dead and he did not send any messages. You are safe. For now."

'You... killed..." Reda felt faint. 'Why?'

" _We_ did not." Felsi said softly. "The one who took your tablet and really liked it did. She has been here for almost six weeks. She was injured badly and nearly lost her arm. We did for her what we did for _you_. We thought she would go back where she came from. She did not. We did not know why. She never..." The healer sighed. "She just never left. She was useful. Helpful. _Nice_ even. But she never left. Paid her own way, but we never knew _why_ she stayed. Not until last night."

'Me?' Reda wrote incredulous. 'She came here _six weeks ago_ to meet me _now_? That isn't possible.'

"The way she explains it, she came for treatment." Felsi grimaced. "When she asked for orders, she was told to remain. In case you came here." Reda stilled and Felsi nodded. "With no conceit intended, we _are_ the best treatment center for our kind anywhere nearby on the surface."

'I'll say.' Reda said, looking at her shoulder. It wasn't bandaged now. A red mark shone where the crossbow bolt had hit her, but it was faded. There was no other sign of her wound. 'What does she want?'

"To talk to you." Felsi said with a sigh. "She has been remarkably open about who she is. She has also sworn by blood and by steel in my presence that she means you no harm." Reda's eyes narrowed at that. Not many dwarves -even Warriors- considered such an appropriate oath. Those few were dangerous sorts almost exclusively. "Her name is Shana and she says you will not know her."

Reda thought about that for a few moments and then sighed deeply. It hurt, but she ignored the pain. 'Give me my crossbow.' She demanded and set the tablet aside.

Tara looked at Felsi who nodded. The younger healer moved to where Reda's pack set by one wall and pulled the bedridden dwarf's crossbow from the pack. She handled it carefully. Maybe she knew the bolts were poisoned? She brought it to Reda who took it and examined it carefully. It hadn't been tampered with. She loaded a bolt and set it down, ready to hand.

"Tara, leave." Felsi said firmly. The younger healer shook her head. "Tara, _go_. You have kids. If this goes bad, I am expendable."

"No, you are _not_." Tara growled. "Oghren would tear me a new asshole of anything happens to you and you know it." To Reda's surprise, Felsi blushed. "Besides, I don't want to tend mine _and_ yours."

'Both of you against the wall.' Reda wrote carefully. 'Out of my line of fire. If anything happens, hit the floor and _stay there_. I do not want your deaths on my conscience.' This was a command as she sat up as far as she could, which wasn't far. Tara and Felsi looked at Reda and then did as instructed. Reda took up her bow and aimed at the door. 'Call her.'

"Just like you said, Shana." Felsi called sadly. "She is upset." The door opened and Reda gawked at what entered. She nearly squeezed the trigger bar of her crossbow out of sheer _panic_ as the _Silent Sister_ nodded to her.

 _A Silent Sister_. Here! Even among dwarven warriors, the Silent Sisters were spoken of in hushed tones. They were _fanatics_. They cut out their own _tongues_ to keep from speaking as part of their order's initiation rites. Reda had faced a Silent Sister initiate during a Proving before the mess with her brothers had happened. It seemed so many more years than eleven. She had been forced to kill that initiate, because the woman would not surrender. Indeed, she _could_ not. It was the first time Reda had taken the life of a dwarf. But not the last.

The female dwarven warrior held up empty hands. Then she made a slow gesture. Reda knew it! She knew that language of gestures! She used something similar!

'Shoot if you must.' The warrior named Shana gestured with a nod. 'I mean you no harm, Lady Reda.'

Reda made a curt gesture with her free hand. 'You serve Bhelen.'

'I serve Orzammar.' Shana retorted calmly in gestures. 'Currently, yes. Bhelen is king.'

'Get out!' Reda wished she could shout it, but her gestures were sharp.

'If you order me to leave, I will.' Shana replied, her own gestures calm. Serene almost. But then her face showed emotion for the first time. Entreaty? 'But please, you need information first.'

'Are you here to kill me?' Reda demanded in gestures.

'No.' Shana replied the same way. 'My orders are to protect you.'

Reda jerked in the bed, her crossbow wavering. That made absolutely no sense at _all_. Shana did not move.

'This is a trick.' Reda couldn't snarl in gestures using only one hand, but she sure _tried_. 'Another one of Bhelen's tricks. What will you do? Wait until I am sleeping and give me poison? Stab me in the heart? Slit my throat? **_Again?_** '

'No.' Shana replied evenly. 'You are needed alive and whole.' Reda's eyes narrowed and Shana nodded. 'I am to try to convince you to go back to Orzammar.'

'NEVER!' Reda had the crossbow up and aimed at Shana's eye. 'I _cannot_ go _back_. I was banished, remember?'

"Reda?" Felsi and Tara hadn't moved at all. Reda waved for them to be still and they stayed where they were. Neither had a chance against a Silent Sister. Reda gave _herself_ less than even odds that she could hit the warrior with the one shot she had. If she missed, she was dead.

'You were.' Shana agreed. 'But times change. We have been searching for you for the last six weeks.' Reda did not move as Shana slowly bowed her head and crossed her arms, each palm touching the opposite shoulder. When her hands moved again, her head remained bowed. 'I am yours to command, Lady Reda. Command me to die and I will.'

'You serve the throne!' Reda retorted in gestures.

'Yes, I do.' Shana replied.

'Then why do you say I command you?' Reda demanded. "I am _not_ the king -queen- whatever!'

'Not _yet_.' Shana agreed and Reda froze in place.

' _What_ did you just say?' Reda demanded silently.

'This is going to come as a shock, Lady Reda, but there is no other way to say it.' Shana's hand movements were graceful, beautiful. 'You are next in line for the throne. Thus our duty... is to _you_.'

For a moment, it made no sense to Reda, what Shana had just said in their shared language of gestures. Then it _did_. It was too much.

For the first time in her _life_ , Reda _fainted_.

* * *

 **Some time later**

"What the _hell_ did you say to her?" Felsi was in rare form as Reda came awake, her world turning in circles. "No! Don't take her tablet! You will make her angrier! Use the parchment!" Her voice turned scared. "Reda? Can you hear me?"

Reda opened her eyes and found Felsi sitting on the bed beside her, the healer's hand cradling Reda's head. She nodded a little, aware of pain in her throat. Aware of pain in her head. Aware that her entire _universe_ had just been turned upside down. She smiled up at Felsi and the healer relaxed just a little.

"Don't scare me like that, Reda." Felsi commanded. "I thought you were having a seizure or something."

Reda patted Felsi's hand and the healer retreated a bit. Reda noticed her crossbow had fallen beside her, still loaded. She ignored it. If the Silent Sister wanted her dead, she was. Reda glared at the other warrior.

'You come _here...'_ Reda signed angrily. '...and expect me to trust _anything_ at all that you say? You serve _Bhelen_!'

'We serve the throne.' Shana replied evenly in sign. She looked away and when she met Reda's eyes again, her face was bleak. 'I failed the throne, Lady Reda.' The Silent Sister shook her head. 'My life was forfeit for the lives I was unable to save. Instead of letting me die, the king sent me here for treatment. It was pragmatic, not merciful.'

'Bhelen wouldn't know mercy if it bit him on the ass.' Reda snapped.

'You are wrong, Lady Reda.' Shana replied. 'You have a right to your anger, but please, let me explain at the very least. I will need to write it out. There are no signs for some of the words.'

'Do I have a _choice_?' Reda snarled.

'Yes.' Shana replied in sign. 'Order me to leave and I will. However, if you do, the Carta wins.'

Reda just looked at her and then gave a curt wave. Shana nodded and moved to the sole table in the room where a parchment and pen had been set. The Silent Sister stood for a moment, then she picked up the pen, bent over the parchment and started to write. She wrote quickly and elegantly. Then she handed the parchment to Felsi who scowled at her before handing it to Reda.

Six weeks ago, the Carta sent a team of negotiators to meet with your brother. That was a ploy to get people inside the palace. There had been tension between the king and the Carta for several years since the attempt on your life.

Reda skimmed the writing and froze at the last line. She stared at the parchment and then at Shana.

'He sent the assassins after me.' Reda signed.

'No, he did not.' Shana replied in the same way.

'You _lie!_ ' Reda wanted to scream, but she couldn't.

'You have no reason to trust what I say after everything that has happened.' Shana said in sign language. 'It gets worse.'

Reda balled up the parchment and threw it at the Silent Sister. Shana _caught it in midair_ , smoothed it back to the table and started to write again. Felsi frowned at Reda. Tara did not move from where she was.

"Reda, may I touch you?" The healer asked and Reda nodded. The healer took Reda's wrist in her hand and her fingers pressed down on the thumping blood channel there. The healer shook her head. "You are upset. What is she saying? We cannot understand those gestures."

Reda pulled her table to her and wrote quickly on it. 'My brother is up to his old tricks. He must think I am particularly credulous now to fall for his lies again.'

"I know this is stressful, Reda, but please..." Felsi begged her. "Try to calm down. If your blood pressure gets too high, it can and will tear the repairs." Reda looked at her and then forced herself to relax. Felsi smiled at her. "Oh man, you are so much better than most of my patients."

'Don't worry, I will be stubborn soon.' Reda wrote, never taking her eyes off of Shana who was still writing. 'I do not know why he is suddenly so interested in me. Assassins five years ago. Assassins last week. And now a Silent Sister trying to talk to me? This makes no sense at all. So whatever it is, he is being sneaky again.'

Felsi bit her lip, but did not speak as Shana handed the parchment to her. She did not look at it, just handed it to Reda who started reading and felt the word fall out from under her.

Five years ago, the Carta was asked to 'find' you. Not to kill you. The king wanted information that he believed you had. He had heard of the crossbow you wield and wanted to find out if the weapon design could be replicated. They were ordered to find you and make contact, since you would not trust anyone with any closer ties to your brother.

Reda scoffed at that, but continued reading.

They attacked you instead. No one knew why. Then, two years ago, the Carta started making moves on Orzammar. The Assembly is gone. Every noble house is wary of each other and the king. There is no unity outside of the military and they are being pushed hard by the houses and the Carta. The common folk still follow Bhelen, but the Carta has also been running a series of campaigns intended to erode his support. They are succeeding.

'Orzammar's problem!' Reda signed at Shana. 'Not mine.'

'Read the rest.' Shana signed back calmly. Reda shook her head but continued.

Your brother brought the Carta in with the idea of curbing their brutality and using their contacts to further Orzammar's interests. In hindsight, he has admitted that this was a blunder. They have no leader now. They have no reason to keep their word. They cannot be controlled. They were suddenly shown everything that they could ever possibly want in Orzammar's Diamond Quarter. Their reaction was typical for the Carta. Greed. They wanted it all.

'There is no way they could take it.' Reda wrote on her tablet. 'There is just no way. The Carta is powerful, no question. But this _Orzammar_ we are talking about. They could never _hold_ it against the military. It would be a bloodbath for no gain.'

' _You_ know that." Shana agreed. ' _I_ know that. _They_ don't.'

'What happened?' Reda wrote. She paused and handed her tablet to Felsi and nodded to Shana who looked stunned. She signed a word. 'Faster.'

Shana bowed her head as she took the tablet. She wrote quickly and carefully. Then she handed the tablet back.

'The _negotiating __team_ was assassins. They attacked Bhelen and his family. They hurt him, very badly. They killed his wife, his son and both of his daughters. I was there. I failed them all.' Shana shook her head. 'I do not know what the king intended. As you well know, he is sneaky. But this...? No. He loved Rica. He loved Endric and Gillie and Sereda.'

'He... named one of his _daughters_... after _me_?' Reda felt faint again and Felsi snarled.

"Tara, get a bowl of broth!" The healer commanded. "Whatever the hell is going on can wait until you eat, Reda."

'This makes no _sense_.' Reda wrote weakly. 'Why would he...? He hated me!' Shana shook her head. 'He _did_!' Reda protested.

'You were in the way.' Shana countered. 'He never hated you. And what you did in the Deep Roads was incredible. What was done to you made him _very_ angry.'

Reda jerked upright, her hand grasping her crossbow again despite Felsi's hiss of worry.

'How do you know about that?' Reda demanded in sign language, her crossbow trained on the Silent Sister again. "Were you _spying_ on me?'

'Yes.'


	12. Chapter 12

**Revealing**

'You were spying on me.'

Reda wasn't sure _what_ made her angrier. The thought of her brother spying on her, the thought of her wards -the children she had worked so hard to save- under even more threat than she had thought, or the fact that this Silent Sister was _standing_ there and _admitting_ such so calmly.

'So Bhelen knew all along where I was.' Reda wanted to snarl, to spit, to scream bloody murder. But she couldn't with her mouth closed up tight. Shana shook her head and Reda paused. 'What?'

' _We_ knew where you were.' The Silent Sister replied in sign language. 'My Order knew where you were almost as soon as you popped up slaughtering darkspawn and frankly, we were _curious_. A silent dwarven female who killed darkspawn so efficiently? Who _wouldn't_ be curious?' She asked reasonably. 'At first we wondered what had happened. We wondered if you were following Astyth's way. _Our_ way. No one had seen you for two _years_. You in the Kal Sharok dungeons all that time?'

Reda nodded savagely. She hated remembering that time.

"Enough!" Felsi thundered and both silent females looked at her. "Shana, _enough!_ She is _stressed_! She is _weak_ and _exhausted_! You are _hurting_ her!"

Shana stared at Felsi and then at Reda. Her face fell and she bowed. For her part, Reda was reeling and her stomach _was_ growling. Tara bustled in, carrying a tray that she brought to Reda's bedside. A flip of a hidden switch and two cunningly designed flanges came down from the tray to support the tray as she set it on Reda's bed. A steaming bowl was set on the tray, but when Reda tried to reach for it, her hands couldn't rise far enough. She started at her hands and then at Felsi who sighed.

"Here." Felsi pulled a long tube from the tray and set it to Reda's lips. "Anger can only take you so far. You will recover, but you are very weak. I am amazed you managed to lift your crossbow twice." Reda took the straw in her lips and it slid through her teeth as if it had been designed to do so. It probably had been. Felsi slid the other end into the bowl. Felsi nodded and Reda started to suck. "Eat it slow. You do _not_ want to puke with your mouth sealed. We can handle it if you do, but it would an awful mess."

Reda nodded as she tasted the broth. It was good. _Very_ good. She hadn't realized how hungry she was, but in short order the bowl was empty. She smiled at Felsi.

"Now for some fruit juice." Felsi said with a smile of her own. "It will help replace the things that your body uses to make energy." She moved the straw into a cup and Reda dutifully started drinking slowly. "It is not drugged, but you are very tired, even if you do not to feel it right now. As soon as the anger you have been operating on wears off completely, you _will_ fall asleep. You need it." She said kindly as Reda made an inquiring noise through the straw. "Everything _else_ can _wait_ until you wake again." This last was hard and to both Reda _and_ Shana. Both nodded. "Good girls."

Reda scoffed at that and she saw Shana hide a smile. Apparently, even a Silent Sister knew better than to cross a _healer_. The fruit juice was good. Then... everything seemed far away. She was floating.

"Rest now, Reda." Felsi's voice came from the gathering gloom around her. "It is going to be all right."

* * *

"I will sit with her." Tara said after Reda nodded off. She looked at Shana who frowned, but nodded when Felsi picked up the tray and jerked her head toward the door. "Anything happens and I will scream loud."

"You do that." Felsi started for the door. Shana opened it for her and followed when Felsi continued towards the small kitchen that served their facility. "So... Shana." She said in a conversational tone as she dropped the bowl in a basin that she started to fill with water from buckets laid out for cleaning. "Am I going to find out what that was all about?"

The Silent Sister picked up her sword and shield from where she had laid them to talk to Reda. She shrugged and nodded to the door to the room where Reda slept. The meaning was obvious. Reda had to decide.

"I cannot physically stop you from hurting her if you choose to..." Felsi broke off as Shana shook her head savagely. "What?"

Shana made several motions. First she pointed to herself. Then she shook her head as she mimed cutting something. Then she pointed at the door to Reda's room.

"You are _not_ going to hurt her?" Felsi asked slowly. Shana shook her head. "Can you tell me _why?_ " Shana shook her head again. "Joy."

The healer went still as Shana stepped forward. But the Silent Sister reached out slowly and took Felsi's hands in her own. She pulled them to her lips and kissed them. Then she stepped back, to stand beside the door to Reda's room. Felsi's eyes went huge as Shana took up a guard position.

"You are here to _protect_ her." Felsi stammered. Shana nodded. "From _who_?" Shana shrugged and Felsi snorted. "If you knew that, you wouldn't be _standing_ there would you? You would be out 'dealing' with the problem, wouldn't you?" Shana grinned at her and settled into place. "Okay. But she is still very weak. I don't know if the repairs I did to her throat will work or not. We won't know for a day or so."

Shana nodded and held out a hand to Felsi who stepped forward. When she was close enough, Shana dropped something into her hand. The healer's eyes went huge as she saw the coin. It wasn't gold! It was electrum! Far, far rarer than gold, that coin was _literally_ priceless.

"I can't take this, Shana." Felsi said slowly. "If I start flashing wealth like this around..." She paused as Shana laid a finger to her lips. The Silent Sister mimed turning the coin over and Felsi did. What met her eyes had her freezing. "By the _Stone_... This is..." Shana nodded.

Felsi was holding a _relic_ in her hands. The small coin bore the device of House Aeducan. She knew the tales. She knew some of the history of Orzammar. She had been raised there until her mother had gone to the surface and Felsi had followed to take care of her. That history... Paragon Aeducan had led the dwarven forces and led them well. But there was simply no stopping the darkspawn. After the darkspawn had overwhelmed the ancient dwarven kingdoms, Orzammar had sealed itself off. The vote to do so had been...heated. Paragon Aeducan had actually stormed out of the Assembly hall after the Roads had been sealed, vowing never to return. He had gone back to his thaig and led _it_ until Orzammar had begged him to lead their armies again against the darkspawn. He had refused. He had said that only in unity did the dwarven people have a chance of survival and no one _wanted_ unity. Everyone wanted to do their own thing, protect their own people. He had known that would not work. The Assembly had asked him what was needed and he had presented them with a small coin that was marked with his house's crest. When they asked what it was for, he said it his vote for an overall leader of the Assembly. A king. _He_ had been elected over his objections.

"Is this the... the _real_ coin?" Felsi asked, awed. Shana shrugged. She likely didn't know. Felsi stared at the coin and then at the door to Reda's room. She paled as the meaning of the coin sank in. "You want _her_...?" Shana shrugged again. "I...see... You know how badly she was hurt." The Silent Sister bowed her head in acknowledgement. "I will do what I can for her, Shana. You know I will. But it has to be her choice."

Shana smiled and nodded, resuming her place by Reda's door. Felsi stared at the coin for a moment longer and then tossed it to the Silent Sister who caught it in mid-air.

"Don't flash that around, please." Felsi grumbled. "We have enough problems." The coin vanished as Shana resumed her post.

* * *

 **The Deep Roads**

The trip was made in silence.

The youngest of the children were mostly asleep. They were still sick from the antidote that Reda had managed to find for them. The older children were all scared, but all had been taught well. One did _not_ survive in the deepest parts of the Deep Roads by being loud. It helped that they were not alone.

Shayle of House Cadash walked with the children, four of the youngest cradled in her massive stone arms. Three armored dwarves in nondescript subdued colors carried the others that were unable to walk. Other dwarves maintained a wary watch. Sigrun had offered to carry one of the kids, but it had been decided that she would do better by doing what she did. She was a scout and just as sneaky as any of Reda's men.

The footfalls of the golem on the stone were the loudest things in the area and those were not as loud as Sigrun had expected. Had Shayle learned stealth or was she just trying not to wake the kids? It didn't really matter. Until they got where they were going, _all_ of them were vulnerable. To darkspawn, to assassins, to Kal Sharok strike teams or Orzammar forces... All had come this way at times. Few had managed to get away from what lay within this area. Even _Reda_ had mostly stayed clear. But now? They had no choice.

"Hold." Shayle's soft word echoed through the area and everyone froze in place. "We are close. Sigrun... I need you word or we get no closer."

"What I see and hear will not be spoken of." Sigrun said formally. "May True Death eternally elude me if I speak of this." For a Legionnaire, that was a solemn vow and a _horrific_ one. To live forever was abhorrent to someone who was sworn to die.

"Right." Shayle handed the kids to others and waved for the group to remain. "I will be back as soon as I can. If... I am not back two turns of the sandglass, take the kids and head for the surface." The dwarves all looked at one another and Shayle shook her massive head. "Do not even think to follow me. You don't have a chance."

"Shayle..." Sigrun started and then shook her head. "Be good."

Shayle chuckled and several of her men did the same. Then the golem started off through the darkened tunnel. Or... darkened to _dwarven_ sight. The walls glowed in her own sight. A familiar glow. It wasn't far and in far too short a time, she entered the gates of ruined Cadash thaig. It...didn't feel like home. It never had. She had been born here, raised here, but... she did not remember it. At least, not as it had been. Now? It was familiar. _Too_ familiar. She had spent a lot of time here before Reda had roped her into helping. The kids... She hadn't expected to love the kids, but she did. To save them, she would have to do something she had sworn never to do. She would have to face them again. _Him_ again. She had never told anyone. She had never said a thing. She had always managed to be vague when Reda asked her about this backup plan. For good reason. It wasn't every day that Shayle of House Cadash felt _fear_.

The walls came alive as she strode forward. She ignored them, continuing forward. None of the hulking forms followed her. Golems. Like her. Mostly.

She strode into the huge cavern with the monument and paused on seeing who she knew she would. She nodded to him and started forward again.

"Shayle." His voice was a broken, reedy thing. It was so different from what she had heard when she and the Warden had gone in search of Paragon Branka. Then again, no one had expected him to _survive_ falling into a river of _molten magma_. His form was melted, but mostly intact. It had been exceptionally well made. Now? It was a torso, blackened and burnt. No arms, no legs.

"Caradin." Shayle said quietly. "The time has come. The children are in danger. I... I beg your assistance."

"In everything, there is a cost, Shayle." The broken form that had once been Paragon Caradin, master smith and creator of the Anvil of the Void, said calmly. "Are you willing to pay?"

"Yes." Shayle said sadly. "As I promised, no one has ever known what became of you. And no one _will_."

It had been a hell of a shock when Shayle had returned to where the Anvil of the Void had once stood and heard Caradin's cries of pain the far distance. It had taken some time, but she had managed to recover what was left of his golem shell from the magma. She had never told anyone even when she had started collecting golems everywhere she found them in the Deep Roads at his orders. If _anyone_ knew that Paragon Caradin -the creator of the golems- had survived in _any_ way, the resulting power struggle would be messy. Very messy. Shayle had spent a great deal of time and a lot of resources to find a way to destroy the shell of her creator. To free him from his eternal prison of agony. To keep any others from suffering his fate and hers.

"I am curious, Shayle." Caradin said quietly. "Why do you strive so hard for dwarves you do not know?"

"Because I _do_ know them, Caradin." Shayle said quietly. "Navish is bright. He reads anything and everything we can find for him. He would be a scholar anywhere but our hidden refuge. Crina is angry, but that is to hide her fear. Mich loves to sing. But he cannot sing as loudly as he wishes for fear of discovery. All of the others..." Shayle bowed her head. "I did not know them. Now I do. I did not understand love. Now I do. I love them. All of them."

"Then my greatest transgression has been undone." Caradin said in a tone of awe. "I destroyed you, Shayle." Shayle shook her head, but Caradin continued. "You volunteered, Shayle. You volunteered for the Anvil out of love for your fellows. I made you _forget_ that. I have regretted it ever since. Your memory was damaged and the person you were before came out. I have tried and tried to reproduce what happened to you and it never works. I have had to accept that the others are lost."

"I am sorry I could not give you any more information." Shayle said, feeling like a child. It was hard not to feel that way in front of her creator.

"It is not your fault, Shayle." Caradin said firmly. "But the others will never be what they were. The Legion of Steel will never be more than the weapons I made them into."

"It was not _your_ fault either." Shayle protested. "You needed them, us, to fight the darkspawn."

"Desperate times call for desperate actions, Shayle." Caradin said sadly. "But _that_? I have far too many regrets. Did you find it?"

"I did." Shayle admitted. "I do not want to do this."

"Shayle, my time ended long ago." Caradin said quietly. "When you came and helped destroy the Anvil, I thought I was free. I almost was. But the magma only destroyed my arms and legs. The body was impervious to the heat. When you found me, rescued me... I have no words, Shayle. None."

"I wanted to know." Shayle said in a tiny voice. "I just wanted to know who I was. I was looking for who I was."

"I know. But very few ever truly know who and what they are." Caradin reassured her. "The Legion here will answer to you now, Shayle."

"To _me_? But..." Shayle sounded scared. "I thought they would deactivate when you... when you..." She couldn't say it.

"When I die." _Caradin_ had no problem saying it. "No. They will serve you. You have been in so many ways Shayle, a perfect daughter. A dutiful child. What kind of a parent would I be if I did not try to provide you with _something_ as a legacy?"

"Fifty six golems..." Shayle said weakly. "I... I would have no idea what to _do_ with fifty six golems."

"The Stone sings of change, Shayle." Caradin said mildly. "This place _can_ serve as a refuge for your wayward charges. But you _know_ the cost."

"This one knows the cost." Shayle said in a soft voice, her speech patterns falling back into ancient ways as her emotions broke past her control. "Father... I..."

" _Do it_ , Shayle." Caradin commanded.

Shayle pulled produced a small blue thing from somewhere and stepped forward to where the form of her creator lay. She could feel the scrutiny of the other golems on her as she laid the tiny blue thing on the blackened armor. She activated it and stepped back.

No one she had spoken to had ever figured out where the tiny device had come from. It had been found in the Deep Roads along with a dozen others. Trial and error -and several lives- had determined what it did and how. It shattered rock and metal by creating extremely powerful localized vibrations. That tiny thing had cost Shayle most of her accumulated wealth. But it was worth it. Her creator's form gave a tiny sound, more a squeal than anything else. Then it collapsed into shards of stone and metal.

Shayle bowed her head over the tiny mound of fragment that had once been the greatest mind of his age and then turned to go and get the kids. All of the golems stood silently watching. Waiting for orders from the controller.

Her.


	13. Chapter 13

**Repairs**

Varric Tethras was tired. It had been a very long day. First with the journey to Redcliffe to meet with the rebel mages. Then the absolute shock of finding out that the mages had allied with a Tevinter magister. That had probably been the single most _stupid_ thing that Varric had ever heard in his life. Which was saying quite a _lot_. Yes, mages ruled in Tevinter and the Templars had been pushing the rebel mages back slowly and steadily. But _swearing_ to _serve_ a slave owning, _blood magic_ using Tevinter _magister_? That had been...

For once in his life, the author in him had _no words_. There were simply no words that could define that level of _stupidity_ adequately. Then the hasty ride back to Haven, the quick War Council meeting and the Herald deciding what she had...

Part of Varric hated what he did. Getting involved in such things rarely ended well in his experience. But Evelyn was doing a darn good job at what she did. No one said it out loud, but everyone knew she was the voice that the others listened to. When Cassandra and Cullen were arguing. When Leliana was being cold blooded and vicious. When Blackwall was silent and stoic, which was all the time. When Sera was loudest. When Solas was arguing with The Iron Bull about freedom...

"Varric." A tired voice had Varric turn from his rumination and his eyes went wide as he saw the Herald stepping up to his campfire.

She looked like hell. _Tired_ didn't begin to describe it. She hadn't looked that bad when they had gotten back to camp. Or had she? He was still reeling from the shocks of the day. First the magister's trap had been sprung, but turned so that it bit the magister instead of the Herald. Then the magister had raised... something and a flash of green had swallowed the Herald and the odd Tevinter mage who called himself Dorian. Then, before anyone could do anything, the Herald and Dorian were _back_ and the magister surrendered, just like that. _Then_ the monarchs of Ferelden had arrived and had _not_ been very happy. Then again, the magister had chased the arl of Redcliffe out of his own lands and castle. Alistair and Anora had both been angry. With cause. So then, the Herald had conscripted the mages. Both to get them out of Ferelden before the monarchs took even _more_ offense -head lopping off levels of offense- and to keep them from doing anything else quite so stupid. Although what _that_ might be, Varric had no idea. There hadn't been time to talk. Now?

"Herald." Varric indicated a space by the fire and she sat with far less grace than normal. She just plopped down as if too tired to do more. "What happened?"

"Weirdness." Evelyn said with a scowl. Varric glanced at her sidelong and she snorted. "More than _usual_." Varric shuddered, but it wasn't all feigned. The Herald had the _worst_ luck when it came to supernatural strangeness. Varric looked at her and she shook her head. "I can't talk about it, Varric. Not yet. It is too soon. I need time to think it through first."

"Frankly, you look like you need _sleep_." Varric said firmly. Evelyn smiled at him but shook her head. "Why?"

"I am worried what I will dream. I never thought I would envy your people's lack of dreaming, but now? I hope I _don't_ dream of this." Varric looked at her and she sighed. "A message came from Leliana. She does not have a lot of contacts in the Deep Roads. But one checked the location Reda gave. From the residue, there _were_ kids there. They were gone when the contact checked it."

"Oh no." Varric felt as if he had been punched in the gut.

"There were no bodies." Evelyn offered. "But we need to tell her."

"Yeah. We do."

* * *

 **Thirty minutes later**

She had intended for it just to be the two of them. But the Bull had 'invited himself' to come along and then Solas had simply started after them. Evelyn was apparently too tired to argue. Varric hadn't even bothered. His mind was whirling with horrible possibilities. He had seen the Deep Roads. He _hated_ the Deep Roads. He was a surface dwarf, at home in the cities. This wilderness stuff was just insane. Redcliffe was as far from civilization as he wanted to go, but he had a sinking feeling that his wants ranked fairly low on the list of what the _Inquisition_ wanted. He didn't mind most of the time. But The Iron Bull and Solas just would not shut up! Varric didn't care how or why the Qunari did things. Why the hell did _Solas_?

"Guys." Varric said after ten solid minutes of them battering at each other's arguments without actually acknowledging them. "Please give it a rest. We have to deliver some bad news. Then we go get some sleep."

"Bad news?" The hulking Qunari warrior asked softly, his eyes flicking from Varric to Evelyn and back. Evelyn ignored it all.

"Yeah, the woman I shot?" Varric said with a sigh. "She told us she was taking care of kids in the Deep Roads. Leliana had someone check. They _were_ there. Now they are not."

"Oh." Varric jerked and stared at The Iron Bull. Something in his tone... The Qunari mercenary met his gaze. "I saw a lot of dead kids, Varric. You never get used to it."

"Shouldn't." Evelyn said from where she walked.

"No, Boss." The Iron Bull said firmly. "We shouldn't get used to such."

"The woman's name is Reda, if you didn't know." A subtle dig at the Qunari spy who did not react.

"Sereda Aeducan." The Iron Bull corrected Varric absently. Varric goggled at him and the Qunari smiled. It was _not_ a nice smile. "Middle child of King Edrin Aeducan. Sister of King Bhelen Aeducan. Potential flashpoint of a civil war in Orzammar. Did I _miss_ anything?" He asked snidely.

"No." Evelyn's tired reply silenced everyone else. "The _last_ thing we need is _another_ civil war. Orzammar controls the lyrium supplies for most of Thedas. Disrupt that and all hell will break loose. _More_ loose." She corrected herself grimly. "We need that lyrium to seal the Breach."

"Right, Boss." The Iron Bull didn't like mages much. Then again, most of his experience with mages had been Tevinter types. The _worst_ of the _worst_. "Orders?"

"Right now, we just need to check on her. Tell her what we found out." Evelyn said with a sigh. "I have no _clue_ where to start with dwarven politics." She, The Iron Bull and Solas all looked at Varric who raised empty hands in a warding gesture.

"Don't look at _me!_ " Varric protested. " _I_ was born and raised in _Kirkwall_. _Tiny_ here likely knows a lot more about subterranean politics than _I_ do." The others looked at Bull whose face turned thoughtful.

"We don't know _much_." The hulking warrior admitted. "They guard their secrets like _nobody's_ business. I know the Ben-Hassrath _has_ dwarven agents, but I never dealt with any except a few on Seheron. And _they_ kept quiet about a lot of things." He shrugged. "Understandably."

"Most of them were probably Carta anyway. Not really in the know, if you know what I mean." Varric said after a moment. The Iron Bull nodded and Varric sighed. "So no one knows. Joy."

"Look, she was _hurt_." Evelyn said after a moment. "We got her some help. She is going to want to go back into the Deep Roads. After that, it is _her_ problem." The human shook her head. "She doesn't seem the kind to thrive on chaos. Although... We _could_ use her help, I bet. The Inquisition, that is."

"You want to _recruit_ her?" Varric asked, incredulous. Then he snorted in dry humor. "Why not? You recruit everyone _else_."

A snicker went around the group, but there was a level of truth to that. When Evelyn found people who she felt would work in the fledging organization, she moved heaven and earth to get them to join. She had recruited mages, Templars, a minor Ferelden lord, a couple of healers, a Tranquil, several dog handlers and one who specialized in Druffulo and Brontos, a horse master, the list went _on_ and _on_. Surprisingly, _none_ of them had given Leliana any grief _whatsoever_. All of them seemed loyal almost to a fault. Evelyn knew how to find the right people apparently.

" _Anyone_ who can sneak into our battlefield and not be _seen_ could be an asset." Evelyn said with a shrug. "Not to mention that odd crossbow of hers. It is like nothing I have seen. Not even like Bianca."

"Different methods of use." Varric said quietly. "Bianca is an all around good friend to have at _any_ party. If Reda has named hers, she hasn't said, but it is intended as a single shot weapon. Long range, high power. Reloads after each shot like a regular crossbow, but _far_ longer range. Maybe further than Bianca if nowhere near the rate of fire. Probably hits like Bianca too."

"Sounds like a _sniper_." The Iron Bull mused and Varric nodded. The Qunari stared at him. " _Underground?_ " He asked, incredulous.

" _You_ have never seen the Deep Roads, have you?" Varric said quietly. The Iron Bull shook his head and Varric nodded. "There is a _reason_ my ancestors called them 'roads'. If you ever _do_ see them, you will understand. Nothing I can _say_ does them justice." The Qunari's sole eye was wide as he looked at Varric, but then he nodded.

"So, we talk to this Reda." Bull shifted his massive axe from one shoulder to the other and nodded. "And then?"

"Then we go _back_ to Haven, wait for the mages to show up and _close the fricking Breach_." Evelyn's calm words had them all smiling. But what she said next...

"...or die trying."

* * *

 **Healer's facility**

Reda had lost track of the time. It had been at least a day since she had woken and Shana had dropped all of her bombshells. The Silent Sister had retreated a bit. She was a constant presence, but not obtrusive. She made Reda a bit nervous, and she was not alone in feeling that way. Both Felsi and Tara were getting fed up with the Silent Sister hovering. Felsi had actually made Shana clean _bedpans_ and wonder of wonders, the Silent Sister hadn't protested at all. That thought made her smile and she needed the smile. Reda was not happy.

"Hold it up higher." Felsi said quietly as Reda struggled. "Come on girl, get it up there!" She commanded as Reda fought to do as instructed. "You call yourself a _warrior_?" She scoffed. "Right now, you wouldn't intimidate a _deepstalker_!" Reda snarled and raised her left arm another inch. Something went 'snap' and she could move it. "Freeze!" Felsi commanded and Reda did as instructed. The healer took the other's arm in gentle hands and carefully eased it through a range of motion, testing the shoulder joint. It all moved as it should now and Reda smiled as Felsi did. "That is it, Reda. The joint is loose. You will need to exercise it every day for a bit, but it should work now."

Reda smiled but she was exhausted again. She had so little strength now. It was coming back. She could feel her strength coming back. It was probably a good thing that neither Felsi nor Tara believed in coddling their patients. She slumped back into the chair that Felsi had assisted her to when she had agitated to get out of the bed and panted. It was incredible that she had been hurt so badly and survived. Felsi and Tara might downplay their genius however they wished, but Reda knew skill when she saw it demonstrated on her. She was bouncing back _far_ faster than she had when injured before. She picked up her tablet off the table and swiped it on.

'And I though _darkspawn_ were sadistic!' Reda complained. 'They have _nothing_ on a _physical therapist!_ '

"You are not _supposed_ to _like_ us, Reda." Felsi said with a glower. But it faded as her face turned sorrowful. "You will bounce back fast. Our kind always do."

'Your patients don't have a _choice_ but to heal with you around!' Reda complained good naturedly, smiling to take the sting from her written words.

"Well, duh." Felsi said with a grin. She blew out a deep breath and nodded. "You have been very patient. Let me check." Reda froze and then slowly lifted her chin so that Felsi could see her neck. She did not move as Felsi slowly undid the bandages around her neck and carefully checked everything she could see. "We undid the wires this morning. The incision site looks good. Some red, but that to be expected in a healing wound. You ready to try?"

'I am scared.' Reda wrote. 'Funny huh? Not scared facing darkspawn or assassins, but scared of my own voice.'

"Not funny at all." Felsi's tone was serious. "Darkspawn or other enemies you can fight and kill. Your own _body_? Not so much." She took a deep breath before continuing. "This is _very_ important. If you feel pain at _any_ time, stop doing _whatever_ you are doing. The repairs are right by your airway and you can asphyxiate if I messed anything up."

'I understand, healer.' Reda wrote calmly. 'What do I do?'

"Take a deep breath, then block the shunt with your hand." Felsi said quietly. "Then try to expel the breath through your mouth. It may hurt, it may not. It will likely not sound as you remember."

'It's been almost eleven years.' Reda wrote with a frown. 'But I am ready.' Felsi took her right hand in a gentle grip and Reda smiled. She took a deep breath, placed her left hand over the hole in her neck and opened her mouth. A look of concentration came over her face as air pushed through areas it had not for some time. Then to her joy, it happened. "Heal...er..."

It wasn't the voice she remembered! But... it was _hers!_ She felt her eyes burn as Felsi gave her hand a squeeze. Felsi was grinning widely as Reda took another deep breath and tried again.

"I... hear... me..." Reda was stunned. "Not... the same. But... Oh Healer!" She rose and hugged Felsi tight before the healer could protest. She was crying now. Felsi was too. "I speak again!"

"Sit down, Reda." Felsi said as she eased the sobbing woman back into the chair. "We have done everything we can. I don't know if it will stay as it is. If it will go back to what you knew. Or if the scar tissue will reform." Reda tensed, but Felsi gave her a squeeze. "It shouldn't do that. But it _could_ and you need to be ready if it _does_."

"I... have... no words." Reda said through her tears. "This is..."

"I know." Felsi hugged Reda tight as the other woman sobbed. "I know, dear. It is all right."

"Felsi? We have visitors." Tara's voice preceded the other healer into view. "Oh. What has happened?"

"Reda?" Felsi asked with a smile. Reda smiled through her tears.

"Tara." Reda said aloud and Tara froze, her hands going up to cover her mouth. "Thank you. Thank you _both_." Tara was crying as well as she stepped forward to take Reda's free hand and squeeze it.

"I hate to interrupt such a joyous moment..." Tara said after Reda had calmed a bit. "But the Inquisition people are back and want to talk to Reda." She smiled. "And now? Reda can _talk_ to them."

"Don't push it, Reda." Felsi warned. "The skin is still fragile. Take it slow and careful. I recommend you use tablet for now. Only talk if you have to for the moment." Reda hugged them both again and then slowly removed her hand from the hole in her neck. She rose slowly and carefully. Felsi and Tara worked hard not to hover as Reda picked up her tablet and walked to the door.

As she exited, she saw the group of mismatched warriors she had seen first in battle with a horde of demons. The Herald of Andraste nodded to her, the other three scrutinized her as well.

"You look a lot better, Reda." Evelyn said with a smile. "I wish I had better news."

Reda froze and then slumped a bit. She jumped as a chair was set down beside her and glared at Shana who tried to look innocent and failed miserably. Reda keyed her tablet.

"Tell me." Reda begged.

"We don't have lot of people who can access the Deep Roads, but we had someone check the place you told us of." Evelyn said gently. "It was empty. There was evidence of people living there for some time, but no one was there when our agent scouted it." Reda nodded slowly and Evelyn looked at her. "You do not seem surprised."

'I laid some contingency plans.' Reda wrote. 'Darkspawn or assassins would have left bodies in their wake. If you didn't find any, then they left under their own power. I guess... I need to go look.'

"How are you?" Evelyn asked carefully. "Can we help?"

'You have.' Reda wrote. 'You and your people have been more than fair. More than kind. And don't say you owe me for what happened. You would have done the same regardless of how I was hurt.'

"Probably." Evelyn smiled a little forlornly. "There is so much bad. We see so much horror. So many good people falling. So much senseless violence and chaos. We stand against it. But..." She shrugged. "It is hard."

'You bear it well.' Reda wrote. Then she rose, despite Felsi's warning cough. She raised her left hand to her throat and opened her mouth. Varric and Evelyn both goggled and then smiled widely as she spoke. "Know that you have at least one friend in the Deep Roads, Evelyn Trevelyan, Herald of Andraste." Evelyn stepped forward and clasped right wrists with Reda, warrior to warrior.

"And you have one on the surface." Evelyn promised.

"I think Healer Felsi is upset with you." Varric warned. Indeed, Felsi was glaring daggers at everyone. "We better get out of where before she starts throwing things. I have heard stories..."

"Just one more thing." Evelyn said to Felsi as she pulled a parchment from her belt pouch. "We covered your costs, but we will be leaving a garrison in Redcliffe. If you have _any_ trouble at _all_ , send for us. We will come. For you, Reda. A map to the closest Deep Roads access point." She handed the parchment to Reda and then bowed. "We must take our leave. The Breach awaits us."

"Fare thee well." Reda's eyes were glistening as Evelyn and her companions left the building. She bowed her head and then she was shaking. In relief? In anticipation? She didn't know. "I... I guess this is goodbye." She didn't look at Felsi or Tara.

"Not _tonight_." Felsi's tone denied any argument that Reda might have made. "Tomorrow." She took hold of Reda'a arm. " _Now_ there is a _bed_ with your name on it calling."

"Tyrant." Reda said with a grin.

"You better betcha." Felsi said with a matching grin. "Now march!"

As she walked, Reda looked at Shana who nodded and the Silent Sister's hand made a small movement that Felsi and Tara did not see.

'Tomorrow.'


	14. Chapter 14

**Journeys**

Reda felt much better. Felsi and Tara were _incredible_ healers. She was still weaker than she would have liked, but she had wasted enough time lying around. The healers had both wanted her to stay another day, but Reda had to know. She had to see for herself. Shana hadn't done a thing, just shown up in full armor with a small pack slung over her back. Her shield and sword were both worn, but well cared for. Reda had checked all of her own gear and everything was as it should have been. Parting from Felsi and Tara had been...hard. But Reda was no stranger to hard tasks.

As they walked towards the point marked on the map, Reda found herself glancing at the Silent Sister and finally Shana signed at her.

'Problem?' Shana asked in her silent language of gestures. She did not have her sword or shield in hand, but they were ready to be drawn at a moment's notice.

'I didn't think your kind used weapons.' Reda replied the same way, most of her senses on watch all around them. The surface was weird but the two female made every little noise as they travelled.

'Normally, we do not.' Shana agreed. 'But coming here, I tried to maintain the fiction that I was a normal warrior.' She shrugged expressively. 'Didn't fool Felsi or Tara for a _second_ though.'

'Sharp as dagger points, the both of them.' Reda agreed. She shook her head. 'I cannot go back to Orzammar, Shana.' The Silent Sister looked at her and Reda sighed deeply. 'You understand hate, do you not?'

'Yes.' Shana's reply was chopped. 'I hate the Carta for what they did to the king's children.' Reda looked at her and the Silent Sister bowed her head. 'We held the assassins off until Rica and the kids made it into the secure room. Said room was proof against blades, toxins and even battering rams for a bit. It was _not_ proof against a lyrium charge.' Reda's eyes bulged and then she nodded slowly. Such explosives were used by miners to clear rock. They were very powerful. 'I was fighting nearby when it went off. I remember a bright flash and then I woke with healers tending me. I was the only survivor of the guards in that area.'

'Please do not be offended by this, Shana.' Reda replied in gestures. 'I want to believe you. I _do_. But I _know_ my brother. He has the morals of a _darkspawn_. The end always justifies the means and _no one_ else matters but _him_.' Shana tensed but Reda continued. 'I am not saying that you are telling untruths. I am not questioning your recollections. All I am saying is that I cannot trust _him_ in any way. I get that he wants the weapon I have. The crossbow won't work for anyone else. If anyone _tries_ , it will self destruct. Spectacularly.' Shana pursed her lips, nodded and relaxed a little.

'I was ordered to bring you to the palace in Orzammar if I found you.' Shana said in the silent language. 'Any way I had to. Admittedly, my orders _are_ six weeks old. I was told that communication would be hard if not impossible and I have not heard anything since.'

'I _cannot_ go back, Shana.' Reda signed sharply. 'I gave Pyral Harrowmont my _word_.' Shana jerked and Reda nodded. 'And then Bhelen had him cut down in the street like a _rabid nug_.'

'I... understand.' Shana replied in gestures after a moment. 'I will continue to try to convince you.' She warned. 'And I _will_ stay with you until I can convince you.'

'That is going to be a long wait.' Reda smiled a little forlornly and Shana shared it.

They continued along the small track that had been indicated on the map that Evelyn had given them. It pointed to something called 'Valammar'. Whatever that was. Access to the Deep Roads was marked on the map, but nothing else. Reda paid close attention to her surroundings and it took every ounce of her self control not to goggle at so many different things. She had seen a lot while staying with the Dalish, but this area was different. Some trees looked the same, others were very different. Some of the other plants were the same, others different. She knew what flowers were, she had been well educated. But until coming to the surface, she had never seen them live. The closest she had ever come was a relic of her house. A ceremonial bouquet that had been gifted to the Aeducans by someone who had been forgotten. Said bouquet had been preserved in amber for centuries. They had been pretty, but... Even then, she had known those were dead. Everything around her now was _alive_. It was very different from the world she knew.

They were following the trail beside a large body of water when they heard it. The clash of steel on steel. The cries of battle. Both dwarves looked at one another and continued forward carefully. A waterfall ahead of them was their destination, but apparently, they were not the only ones trying to get in.

Reda went still as she saw half a dozen forms in familiar armor -Inquisition!- battling a group of black robed beings. Each of the robed ones was gesturing, energy crackling and Reda hissed softly as she saw lightning arc from one of the robed ones to an Inquisition soldier. Mages. Hostile ones! A tap on her arm had her freezing and Shana pointed to the side. Another form stood slightly apart from the battle. Another mage. Female. Human. She was smiling evilly as the Inquisition forces fell one by one. Reda shook her head and shrugged out of her pack. Shana looked a question at her, but Reda ignored her.

The dwarf rogue's hands were flying in careful trained sequence. First the receiver. Then the stock. Then the arms slotted into place. Then the retaining pin. Then the scope. She had it assembled in twenty seconds, not her best time. She would have to work on that. The weapon came alive in her hands as she fed the lyrium from the reservoir into its main chamber. Shana shied away from it as it started to glow softly, but Reda ignored her. Reda ignored _everything_ but her target and its surroundings.

The mage was coated in a shimmering veil. A shield of some kind. Reda twisted a knob on the side of the bow and looked at the trees surrounding the mage. The wind was light and from the left. She twisted another control a little. There was often a breeze underground -at times a strong one- and any archer learned to compensate for it. She took up slack on the trigger bar with her middle finger, slowly and carefully aiming at the human woman's torso. She had no idea how tall the human was, so she hoped for the correct elevation. From this angle, there was no chance she would hit any of the Inquisition soldiers. For just a moment, she hesitated. Did she really want to get involved? Then one of the mages slit the throat of a soldier who was down but still alive and the look on the mage's face decided her. Anyone who felt _glee_ about such needed to _die_. She let half of the last breath she had taken escape her lungs and held the rest.

The crossbow thumped against her shoulder and she lowered the weapon slightly as she started the cocking mechanism. It would take seventeen and a half seconds to draw the powerful arms back and slot another bolt into place. She ignored that, keeping her eyes on her target. The mage had no idea what hit her. One moment, she was cackling with glee, egging the others on. Then next, she was catapulted forward, the bolt sticking out of her back like a spear. She fell onto her face and did not move. None of the others had a clue what had happened as Reda felt the bow click in her hands and she brought it back up.

None of the Inquisition soldiers were standing now, so she did what did best. She _serviced targets_. They were not people. They were _things_. Breath. Thump. Miss by millimeters accompanied by a silent curse. Seventeen and a half seconds. Breath. Thump. One mage took the bolt through an eye. Breath. Seventeen and half seconds. Thump. Another was hit through the chest.

 _Now_ the mages knew they were under attack, but they had _no_ idea _where_ the bolts were coming from. Even if they _did_ , Reda had gauged the distance to be around two hundred yards. The mages _could_ hit Reda and Shana from that distance, sure. If of course, they could _see_ Reda or Shana and they _couldn't_. The bushes gave the two dwarves a certain amount of concealment and the bolts were next to invisible as they flew.

" _Where are you?_ " One of the mages screamed in frustration, only to scream in _pain_ as Reda's next bolt tore her arm off. Setting the crossbow that strong had been needed to be sure it would puncture any mage's barrier on the first hit. None of their barriers stood a _chance_. What such velocity did to cloth covered _flesh_ when it penetrated was indescribable. The woman fell to the ground, clutching the stump of her arm, but then she slumped and fell over.

The remaining mages were retreating, but Reda's eyes were cold, dead things as she fired again. Another mage fell, never to rise. Both of the others faded from sight and Reda paused. Some kind of invisibility spell! She held her breath and waited. One of the mages reappeared, his terrified eyes clearly visible through the scope flicking this way and that. She fired and _he_ screamed and fell.

" _There_ you are!" A scream of rage came from close at hand and Reda spun, but a stunning blow threw her to the side as energy tore through where she had just been. Then her eyes were huge as Shana charged the mage who had appeared nearby. Reda raised her weapon, but Shana was between her and the mage. She hissed in frustration, waiting for a clear shot. But then she went still as Shana attacked.

The mage laughed, raised a hand and energy crackled. But it had _no effect_ as Shana closed the range. The Silent Sister hadn't drawn her sword or shield. Instead, she held her hands oddly. Reda suddenly had a flash of memory. Long ago, she had faced a Silent Sister initiate in the Proving before her brother's treachery had gotten her cast from Orzammar. That sister had fought barehanded against armored warriors armed with axed, swords and hammers. She had bested all enemies until Reda. Then she had died to Reda's sword for she would not surrender even when Reda had her down. She had thrown herself onto Reda's sword instead of surrendering.

But that girl had only been an _initiate_. Shana was _not_ an initiate. Reda hissed in awe as the Silent Sister seemed to _blur_. The mage was dumbfounded as Shana closed with him. Then he screamed in fear as she pummeled him with fist and foot in rapid succession. Fear changed to pain and the barrier that Reda could see glowing flashed blue and vanished as the unarmed warrior's armored gauntlets and boots connected to robed flesh in trained movements that were utterly unstoppable. Bones snapped in rapid succession. Even Reda could see the beauty in the Silent Sister's movements as she swiftly and mercilessly beat the _crap_ out of the mage.

It seemed to go one for minutes, but was likely less than half a minute before Shana stood over the crumpled form, her fist cocked back as she looked at Reda. She inclined her head to the broken mage and then shrugged expressively. Reda laid her hand over the still open hole in her throat.

"They may want a prisoner." Reda said calmly. Shane frowned but then nodded. She pulled some short lengths of rope from somewhere on her person on and started tying the mage, ignoring his cries of pain as she twisted broken bones. Reda ignored them as well, starting for the scene of battle as she unloaded her bow. Then she started to disassemble her bow by touch. She picked up her pack, slinging it as she worked. Each piece of her bow went where it belonged and it was stowed by the time she reached the scene of the battle.

All of her targets were down but she checked each carefully anyway. She had learned early that just because a target was _down_ , that didn't mean it was _dead_. Indeed, one of the humans was trying to crawl away, sobbing. She couldn't move, but was _trying_. Reda eyed the woman and shook her head. She drew her dagger and stabbed into the base of the woman's skull. An instant merciful kill. The human fell limp, never to rise. Reda shook her head, sickened by this and turned her attention to the Inquisition soldiers.

Most of the forms in familiar armor lay silent and still. But one was looking at Reda as she approached. Reda nodded to the human and put her hand to her throat.

"I am not your enemy." Reda said calmly as the human fumbled for his sword. "You are Inquisition." The human stiffened and nodded. "Guard or patrol?" He stared at her and Reda sighed. "Look, I can't help you. I am no healer. Will someone be along to relieve you or do you need to call for help?"

A sharp whistle had Reda stiffening in place as two dozen shadowed forms simply _appeared_ from the brush surrounding the area. Shana was at her side in an instant. The warrior's shield and sword were out and ready as the green and brown garbed humans aimed bows at the pair of dwarves.

"No!" The hurt human in front of Reda croaked. "They... they _helped_ us..."

"Bows down!" Came a command and Reda relaxed a little as a another form appeared out of the brush. This one was a dwarf like Reda and Shana, but she wore Inquisition armor. "Medic!" She called and two of the humans moved to start checking the wounded. "Hollis, what happened?"

"Lieutenant." The hurt guard said weakly as one of the medics worked on him. "Guarding the door as ordered. Bunch of black robed mages came up, ordered us to stand aside. Started throwing spells when we refused."

"Whoever the hell these black robes are, they are popping up all over the place like roaches." The Lieutenant said with a scowl. "Six of you, _seven_ of them...how the _hell_ did you survive _?_ "

"Them." The hurt soldier said softly as he waved a weak hand at Reda and Shana. "Never saw them until the mages started falling. Couldn't see where they were shooting from. But good shooting." He smiled at Reda who returned it.

"On behalf of the Inquisition, thank you." The Lieutenant said with a nod that Reda returned. Then she paused. "Wait... _Reda?_ " Reda nodded and the lieutenant shook her head. "I saw you when we carried you to the healers. You were a _mess_. They do good work." She said with a smile that Reda shared. She went still as Reda covered the hole in her neck again.

"That they do." Reda agreed aloud and the lieutenant grinned at her.

"Nice." The Inquisition dwarf said with a shake of her head. "Pity they cost so much, but worth every silver." She grimaced as she looked around the gore filled clearing. "What a mess. The boss isn't going to be happy."

"Left one alive." Reda's throat was starting to hurt, so she kept he words short. The lieutenant tensed and Reda waved to where Shana had left the mage. "Disabled."

"Again, thank you." The lieutenant said with a smile. "Griz! Check that scum! Everyone else, secure and search these. See if we can find anything the spymaster can use." A chorus of quiet acknowledgements came and the lieutenant turned to face Reda and Shana and her men fanned out. "You are going Under?" Reda nodded and lowered her hand from her throat. "Then good luck. If you come back to the surface or need assistance, the Inquisition owes you. _We_ owe you. We pay our debts when we can."

Reda nodded with a smile and started for the door that she could see under the waterfall. As promised, it was unlocked and she could see dark tunnels ahead. She set her shoulders and started forward.

She was going home.

* * *

"Geez... this is going to make one _hell_ of a report..." Inquisition Lieutenant Lace Harding was tired. Keeping the Hinterlands secure was turning into a full time job in and of itself. She nodded to two of her people as they prepared the single survivor of the guard post and the bodies for transport. More guards had already been sent, but her people would secure until they got here. "Griz? Sarge? What do you have?"

"That mage is a mess, Ma'am." The human Griz hawked and spat, but it wasn't disrespectful. It was just who he was. He was twice her height, but size wasn't everything and no one _sane_ bucked Harding's authority. No one did it more than _once_ anyway. And if you did it anywhere _near_ the sergeant, it would _hurt_. "If there is _single_ bone unbroken, I ain't able to it."

"My heart bleeds." Harding said with a glower. Griz nodded.

"One thing, Ma'am..." Griz sounded curious now. "No cuts. Whoever done it used a blunt weapon. Both of them women carried swords. So..."

"Blunt?" Harding asked, curious despite herself.

"Yeah." Griz shook his head. "Looks like he got the crap kicked out of him, but it looks more like the after of a _bar brawl_ than a _battle_." Harding and the sergeant goggled at him and he shrugged. "Don't make a lot of sense, but there it is."

"We are the Inquisition, Griz." Harding scoffed. " _Sense_ need not _apply_." Both of her subordinates had a laugh at that. "Go on, get back to work. Sarge, you find where the bolts came from?" She had been curious as to how _seven_ mages could be taken so unaware by a crossbowman. She knew the value of concealment, but still...

"I did." The sergeant had been with her for some time. He was generally unflappable. But he looked a bit pale. Harding looked at him and he swallowed. "Ma'am. The men found the mage two hundred yards thataway. I found their hide less than twenty feet from where he was." He waved and Harding nodded. "I don't know _what_ she was using, but it tore through their barriers from _two hundred_ yards. They stayed quiet just like we do. And when one of mages saw them and ported close..." He actually _shuddered_. "I thought it had to be more than the two of them. It _wasn't_. Only two sets of tracks. One shooting, one guarding. And yeah, like Griz, I find no sprays of blood from a sword. I _did_ see bruises in the shape of a fist on the prisoner. Whoever beat the snot out of that mage used _fists_."

" _Ouch_." Harding said with feeling.

"My thoughts exactly, lieutenant." The sergeant said firmly. " _Never_ want to fight those two. Wouldn't be _pretty_."

"No." Harding took one last look around the clearing filled with black robed bodies and shuddered a little.

"No, it wouldn't."


	15. Chapter 15

**Rage**

The access from Valammar into the Deep Roads hadn't been hard to find. Indeed, it looked as if it had been used recently. Maybe by the Carta? Reda didn't know or care. She could read the markers and knew how far she was from where she needed to go. Now to _get_ there.

Reda was no stranger to the Deep Roads. They had been home for almost ten years. There were dangers at almost every corner, but she welcomed them. She knew them. The surface was filled with weirdness. She had found kindness in odd places as well, but she hadn't hoped for that. She had hoped to escape the assassins after her and she had. She had also found healing and...

Reda froze in place, Shana a silent shadow at her side. They had just passed a well built door that sealed Valammar off from the Deep Roads. The rogue's head turned one way and then the other. Shana looked at her but did not move. This was Reda's environment. Her home. She jerked as Reda's hand came up in a 'stop' gesture then indicated for the warrior to move to one wall. She did and Reda joined her there. Both stayed close to the wall and waited. Shana's eyes went large as voices came.

'-and I tell you they _have_ to come through here." The voice was masculine and harsh. Bitter. Reda could tell just from sound that he was Carta. She glanced at Shana whose face was a mask. But the Silent Sisters' eyes were flashing with barely repressed violence. Reda held up five fingers, then pointed two fingers at the ground and mimed walking. Shana stiffened and nodded slightly. Five enemies that Reda could hear. Probably more. Both settled to listen. "This is the closest access that we know of to the one that was sealed. Blasted Inquisition sodders tore the operation apart, but they didn't come any deeper."

"This is a waste of time." Another voice snapped. "Our 'king' needs to get his head out of his arse and start counting his profits again or we might just lose what we have."

Reda looked at Shana, but the Silent Sister just looked confused. Either she was an incredible actress -unlikely- or she had _no_ idea what was going on. Shana made a tiny gesture to Reda who shook her head minutely. The numbers were not good even with surprise on their side.

"He tells us to check, we check. He tells us to guard, we guard." Another voice said wearily. "Or do _you_ want to explain to his high and mightiness that we _didn't_? Someone would rat. Someone always _does_." A chorus of groans sounded and then the tunnel filled with armed dwarves. At least a dozen of them were walking towards the entrance that the two females had used. None of them came within a yard of where the two women were concealed and none of them looked to the side. That... wasn't right. Why were they not looking around? Why... wouldn't they be _searching_ of they knew that someone... was... coming...?

Reda shook her head as the team of dwarves vanished into Valammar. Shana looked at her but Reda was in no mood to explain. This was a trap. No one knew she had been coming here but Shana. She glared at Shana who looked confused.

"Don't do anything hasty, Reda." A female voice came from ahead of them. "We just want to talk." Shana froze and then her eyes turned bleak as Reda's turned hard. She knew. She knew that the only way anyone could have known where they were coming was through _Shana_. Somehow.

Instead of answering, Reda pulled a vial from her belt pouch and threw it _hard_ through the door she and Shana had come out of. This time, she was careful to only throw _one_. Then she slammed the door shut. It did _not_ muffle the screams as the poison gas did it's nasty work. But they cut off as the door slammed shut. She spun, small crossbow in hand as four forms appeared ahead of them. But the Carta dwarves seemed confused and -if anything- _terrified_! Then again, they _knew_ what Reda was capable of, especially underground. Especially against Carta. It usually hurt. The rogue pulled a flask of Antivan fire from her belt and held it ready to throw.

"Stop!" The female dwarf screamed as she threw herself to the side. "We are just here to _talk!_ " Belying her words, one of the others with her fired a full size crossbow. Shana batted the bolt out of the air with her shield. "No!" She pleaded as Reda fired. But her words cut off as the bolt took her square and she fell to lie motionless. The others gawked.

Then it was too late. Shana was in motion. Reda reloaded her crossbow as the Silent Sister dove into the midst of the three remaining Carta dwarves. She did not bother with anything flashy. It was fast and brutal. In moments, none of the Carta were standing. She idly broke the neck of the one still breathing and froze as Reda aimed at her. The tiny crossbow might or might not have a chance against Shana, but even a _Silent Sister_ couldn't outrun _Antivan fire_.

'I don't know what is going on, Reda!' Shana said quickly in gestures. 'I _don't!_ ' Reda did not move, did not lower either of her weapons and Shana shook her head. 'They... they had to have found out from me. Somehow. But I don't know _how_. This doesn't make any _sense_!' She relaxed a little as Reda lowered and then holstered her crossbow, but then tensed again as Reda signed a single word.

'Leave.'

Shana stared at the other dwarven woman, her face ashen. 'Reda, I can't..." Shana pleaded. 'I am sworn, by blood and by steel. I cannot.' She bowed her head. 'Kill me if you must.'

Reda felt torn. She liked Shana. Trust might have been foolish, but she did _like_ Shana. However the Silent Sister was compromised somehow. So, she did what she _did_.

She _vanished_ as only the being called 'The Tunnel Ghost' could.

* * *

For the first time in years, Shana wanted to _scream_. She felt such rage, such hate at the Carta that she kicked the still forms at her feet several times out of sheer anger before control reasserted itself. Part of her had been expecting an ambush, but _this_... this had been more than an ambush. The others to block off any chance of exit back to the surface. Then the Carta asking to speak. Yeah, _sure_. Like assassins ever... Shana paused and then moved to where the female who had been talking lay still.

Reda's bolt had gone through the Carta dwarf's shoddy armor like a hot knife through butter. The powerful toxin at the end of the bolt had killed her before her brain had known the bolt had hit. She still wore a look of abject terror. Shana ignored that. Carta got what they deserved. Then she froze as she found a parchment in the dwarf's pouch. Rage started to build as she read what was written on it.

"You are getting predictable, Reda." The writer seemed full of him or herself. "We knew that you would kill the ones sent to 'talk' to you." The irony in those last words was palpable even in the writing. "Which is why each of the ones sent has a copy of this parchment in their pouches. Most of them cannot read anyway and even then, they were paid. They do not know what they are being sent for. They were told that you were to be summoned to a meeting. I know you won't come without incentive so I will _give_ you some. We know where your wards are hiding." At that, Shana went still. Threatening people was the Carta way. But threatening _children_? That would make Reda _angry_. No one _sane_ did _that_. At least not more than _once_."Come to Aeducan thaig and come alone or they die." It was signed 'Leske'.

She didn't know that name. Did she? It seemed vaguely familiar. Shana gave herself a shake and started off into the Deep Roads. She didn't really know where she was going, but she would almost certainly find more Carta. A few of them would be 'persuaded' to give her directions to this thaig before they died. She _would_ find this thaig. She _would_ find this Carta boss.

Then she and this 'Leske' person would have a little _chat_...

* * *

 **Some time later**

It took _four_ Carta dwarves, but eventually Shana found where she needed to go. She stared at the broken wall of the Deep Road and shook her head. This was where it had happened eleven years ago. This was where Trian Aeducan had been found murdered and Sereda Aeducan had been found kneeling over his still corpse. The legal proceeding had been swift, far too swift. Shana had been new to her order, but they had _all_ questioned what had happened. Loyal to the crown or no, it had seemed far too pat. Sereda had never to anyone's knowledge put herself forward. She hadn't _wanted_ the crown. She was the middle child. She knew her destiny was to serve in the military, perhaps gain high rank, perhaps not. But to _fight_ for Orzammar. _She_ had been loyal to her family... And _they_ had not been loyal to _her_.

That hurt. It really did. Shana knew betrayal. It was the way of things among some of the dwarves. Particularly the nobility and the Carta. She had grown up in a small clan of warriors, but had given up everything to follow the way she had. She had precious few regrets for the life she now led. She knew exactly what she was and she had a cause to follow. To believe in. She didn't have to think about things that bothered her.

She strode into the tunnel that had been enlarged at some point and followed it as it arced around. From what little she had gathered, there was only one way in and out of the thaig. That couldn't be true. There had to be others ways. But she only saw the one. So... a trap. It had to be. She smiled a bit grimly as she continued forward, staying to the shadows as much as she could. Whatever waited inside this thaig had been set up to capture or kill Reda. Shana might or might not have a chance against it. They could not be expecting her. Could they? For a moment, she paused. The failed ambush could not have happened without some kind of in depth information that was only available from _her_. But she hadn't communicated with anyone. She didn't blame Reda for thinking otherwise. Was she being tracked? If so, by who? All of her gear she knew inside and out. So...

Shana growled at herself and started forward again. This ended _here_ and _now_.

She saw the first guards before they saw her. Obviously Carta, they were not trying to hide. But they also were not being very vigilant. Ordinarily, she would just kill them, slaughter her way into the middle of whatever group of lowlifes that had congregated and then do what she did. Kill.

But _this_ was odd. One of the guards was slumped against the wall. He wasn't moving. Indeed, when Shana examined his face from her shadow, she saw that he wasn't _breathing_. Someone had killed him silently enough that the other guards hadn't noticed and left his body where it looked as if he was simply leaning. Such a subterfuge wouldn't last long and she darted forwards through the dead guard's sector when the others were looking away.

What met her gaze when she passed the doorway into the thaig though had her even more confused. There were civilians here! In the _Deep Roads_. That made no sense at _all_. What was more? All of them looked scared as Carta guards patrolled among them. Hostages? This was...

"I know you are here, Reda." The voice wasn't familiar. Male. Strong. It sounded confident and arrogant. "Show yourself."

As far as Shana knew, Reda _wasn't_ here so she stayed in the shadows. She moved slowly and carefully as the male spoke again.

"Come on, girl." The male said with a sigh. "It doesn't need to be like this. All we want is the shield, then you can go back to being stupid in the Deep Roads until you die like the fool you are."

This guy had _no_ idea what he was doing. Insulting Reda was a one way ticket to the _Stone_. Shana went still. Unless he had some kind of _edge_. And what _shield_? That made even less sense than the rest of this. She knew that Sereda had been sent to the thaig to reclaim a relic of her House, and if she recalled correctly, that had indeed been a shield. But _that_ relic had vanished not long after Reda had been exiled. So... why would some Carta scum want _that_?

"Okay." The male voice called. "Have it your way."

"No!" A totally _impossible_ voice screamed and Shana went still as the voice she knew so well cried. "Don't hurt her!"

A child's cry of fear and pain had Shana moving before her brain caught up with her body. A familiar cry! That child... She had been Shana's responsibility. Shana had failed. Hadn't she?

Shana stepped out into a large plaza that only _seemed_ filled with people. Less of half of them seemed to be armed. Her eyes missed nothing. The two ballista that covered each and every corner of the crowd, likely armed with expanding or hellfire bolts. The guards well back from the danger areas. The man in Carta attire holding the crying baby girl. The woman with two kids at her feet chained beside him. Rica! Bhelen's _wife_! And the kids were _Endrin_ , _Gillie_ and _Sereda_! But that was impossible! Shana had seen then die! The blast had destroyed the entire _room_ that they had been in. There hadn't been anything _left_!

"Reda RUN!" Rica begged as Shana stepped forward. "Don't let these scum _win!_ "

"Shaddup ya noble b****!" One of the guards backhanded Rica. The woman's face was already bruised and Shana felt rage start to build. She wanted to tear that man's head off, but she could see numerous archers now all around the plaza. Most of them seemed to be aiming at the civilians. At least four were aiming at her. She was good, but there _were_ limits.

Shana met the leader's gaze calmly. She did not move.

"Typical duster." Rica spat blood at the one who had hit her and Shana smiled as the mother of Bhelen's children snarled. She was far from broken. "So _brave_ when people _can't_ fight back and run the fuck away when people _can_!"

"Stop!" The leader commanded as the thug went for his sword. "We are here for the shield. No more, no less. We will need her. But shut your mouth, woman. We don't need you _intact_." He looked at Shana. "Well, well, well... The Tunnel Ghost in person. You don't look like I imagined. Drop your weapons." Shana made a rude gesture at him and he shook his head. "I have the advantage here."

Shana shook her head slowly. Her hands slowly dropped down to her waist. Near her belt. The place where _Reda_ kept her poisons. All of the Carta in the area froze. They _knew_.

"You are willing to kill everyone here to get me?" The Carta leader asked softly. Shana nodded and he smiled widely. "I don't believe you." _She_ smiled and he stared at her. "What the hell?" He looked to the side. "Where is that Silent Sister?"

" _That_ is the Silent Sister!" A nondescript dwarf stammered nearby as he looked at an oddly shaped crystal. Shana's eyes narrowed. She knew that dwarf! He had been one of the healers who tended her... after... He stared at her and she knew he saw his _own_ death in _her_ eyes. "That is _**not**_ _Reda!_ "

Rica started to laugh as Shana started walking. She was focused as never before. Arrows flew from the archers. She avoided some, she batted others out of the air. The crowd had all hit the ground and she was beyond them before the ballista could fire. There was something odd going on at those, but she ignored that.

"Kill her!" The leader commanded as he dropped the young Sereda at his feet and drew twin daggers. Rica grabbed the crying child and pulled her close as Shana finally reached her range.

Then she _charged_.

* * *

There was a _reason_ that Silent Sisters were feared and it had little to do with their skill with weapons. Even though they preferred to use their hands and feet as weapons, they were proficient with any number of weapons. It simply made _sense_ to understand the strengths and weaknesses of any weapon they might face. They rarely used them however. Shana had been sent to the surface though and she hadn't wanted it widely spread what she was. So she had carried a sword, shield and number of other tools. Because that was what swords, shields, maces, axes and _everything else_ _**were**_ to Silent Sisters. Tools.

The reason for fear was simple. There was only _one_ 'weapon' in that _entire_ plaza and _**SHE**_ was _**PISSED**_!

The first two guards to meet her rush lasted a grand total of _three_ seconds. A spinning lariat and a front kick and both went down. One's neck was broken, the other's own sword had impaled his thigh. Out of the fight. The dwarf who had identified her was fiddling with some kind of crystal. He gave a squeak of fear that cut off in a gurgle as a brace of throwing knives tore through his throat. He was alive, but he wouldn't be for _long_.

Then she was in the guards' _midst_. Her fists and feet were extensions of her will. Her sword flew to impale an archer. Her shield caved in a skull ten feet away from her and fell to land, deformed. The duster it had killed fell beside it. Throwing knives flew with seeming abandon, but appearances were decieving. She was no berserker. She was totally in control. She stood between Rica, her kids and the Carta and _nothing_ that entered her zone of control _lived_. She was calm. It had been so long since Shana had been so calm. It was... perfect.

Then pain flared in her chest. How had she gotten on the _ground_? Why was the world turning _grey_? Why was Rica crying as the woman reached for her? Shana did the only thing she _could_. The Stone grabbed Shana and held her gently as consciousness fled.


	16. Chapter 16

**Fear**

"What the _hell_?"

The Carta leader screamed as he stared around at the carnage. A _dozen_ Carta lay dead. At _least_ as many more groaned in pain. Some of them wouldn't survive their wounds. _All_ of the survivors were staring at the fallen Silent Sister in shock.

"You said it was _Reda_!" He screamed at the dwarf who had identified Shana. But that dwarf did not reply. Indeed, his eyes saw nothing when the leader shook him roughly. Dead. But the crystal that he had promised would _stop_ the Silent Sister _was_ glowing faintly, so it had worked. Eventually. "Crap."

Rica hugged Shana's still form tight. The kids held on as well. None of the hostages were as much as _mussed_.

"There wasn't any need for that!" The leader snapped to Rica. "You should have told her that."

"Sod you, duster." Rica snapped, hugging Shana's body. "That is all you _are_ , all you will _ever_ be, Leske. A _duster!_ Did you _really_ think a _shield_ would make you a _noble_? You don't have a _clue_."

"Come off it, Rica." The other replied, forcing himself to calm. "If they made _you_ noble, they would make _anyone_!"

"I have told you over and over, Leske." Rica said with a snarl worthy of a darkspawn. "I am _not_ noble. _Endrin_ is. Gillie and Sereda are _not_. You do not want to _listen_. That was always your problem. You got my brother _killed_ with _your_ stupidity. Now you have gotten so many _others_ killed. So many people better than you, killed for your _greed_." She bowed her head over Shana. "Oh Shana... I am sorry."

"Just shut your whining!" Leske snapped. "I am halfway to slitting all of... your..." He trailed off as he stared at one of the ballista. The crew of said ballista were lying still. Nothing _living_ was quite so still. He looked at the other and the crew _there_ were all dead too! "What the-?"

Some instinct warned him. He dropped and rolled as something whirred right over his head. He came up behind Rica, grabbed hold of her and held her despite her struggles.

"Stop squirming! You are my ticket out of here!" Leske snapped, but Rica kept struggling until he belted her on the back of the head with his dagger pommel. "Grab the kids, we will-" Whatever _else_ he was going to say was cut off as the closest Carta member was slung backwards, a _crossbow bolt_ materializing in his chest. There was no sign of the shooter but Leske had a not so familiar feeling now. He hadn't lost control of his bladder in _years_. He _knew_ who that _had_ to be. "Reda! No! Stop! We can _talk_ about this!"

The only answer was a slow rain of crossbow bolts from nowhere. Each one found it's mark. Some Carta ran. They died. Others raised shields. _They_ died. Others tried to cower behind cover or hostages. _They_ died. None of it made _any_ difference whatsoever. The rain continued, each shot the death of a criminal. As the Carta guards died, some of the civilians picked up their weapons, but all stayed low. Wise of them. Some of those shots were very close to them.

"Reda! Stop!" Leske screamed as _all_ of remaining his men _died_. "I don't want to fight you!"

"Funny." The odd voice seemed to come from _everywhere_. "All _this_ to become _noble?_ Rica is right. You are an _idiot_."

"Meet your death with a _little_ dignity, duster." Rica said firmly, then gasped as Leske drove a dagger into her back. "Ah... is that... the _best_... you can do?" She gasped out her defiance, spitting at him. "Weak."

He raised his dagger to finish the job and never saw the bolt coming that took his life. Rica was smiling as she lost consciousness.

* * *

"Rica." The odd female voice was close at hand as pain forced Rica back to awareness. She didn't know the voice. Did she? "Rica, come on. Stay with me." Pain exploded in her back and she groaned. "Good. Good. Stay awake, Rica. I have help coming, but I don't know how long they will take to get here."

She stared up into a horrifically scarred female dwarven face. A buzz of voices sounded all around her.

"Reda?" Bhelen's wife asked and the other nodded. "I am sorry. So sorry. For everything."

"Bhelen did it." Reda said quietly, one hand at her own throat, the other pressed to Rica's back. "Not you. Never you."

"Don't blame the kids." Rica begged. She stared around wildly, but the kids were in the arms of another dwarven woman who was singing to them softly, keeping them looking at her, away from where Rica lay. "Please?"

"I don't make war on children, Rica." Reda said gently. "I hate your husband for what he did to me and mine. But you?" She smiled as she looked at the kids. " _You_ have done very well."

"Thank you. I tried." Rica grasped the arm that she could. "I am dying, aren't I?" Reda looked grim but did not respond. "Give me to the Stone then."

"Not until there is no hope at all." Reda snapped. "I was _mute_ up until less than a week ago. Before _that_ , I was shot in the _shoulder_ by a high powered crossbow. I survived all of that. You _can_ survive _this_ , Lady Rica. You just have to _want_ it enough."

"I am no 'Lady'." Rica protested. "Just a duster. A foolish, stupid duster who dared to dream beyond her station. Just like Leske if less murderous."

"You are wrong. I saw you here. I scouted the area before Shana arrived. You kept everyone calm and in control. Panic would gotten a lot of people killed if you had let it. You didn't." Reda said gently as she looked at the fallen Silent Sister. "You know... Nobility is _not_ a birthright. It is defined by one's _actions_. My father used to say that." Rica stared at her. "I remember you. You were so scared when I found you coming out of Bhelen's rooms." She smiled at Rica who smiled back a bit hesitantly.

"He was so good to me and the kids." Rica said weakly. "I couldn't believe when I was told what he did to you and your other brother. I... I am sorry." She repeated.

"Don't be." Reda replied. "What lies between me and Bhelen is between _me_ and _him_. It has _nothing_ to do with you. And as I say, I have nothing against your kids." She shook her head. "But... You named one for _me_?" She smiled. "What an _awful_ thing to do to a kid." She complained humorously. Rica chuckled and then jerked.

"Don't make me laugh." Rica begged. "Hurts. How long were you here?"

"Long enough to scout out the traps. To deal with most of them." Reda said sadly. "Not long enough to stop Shana." She bowed her head as she and Rica looked at the still form beside them.

"The Silent Sisters are _scary_." Rica's tone held tears. "But she was kind. When they took us... We went into the secure room and there was some kind of gas. We woke up here. It has been... so long. I don't know..."

"Six weeks is what Shana told me." Reda said gently. Rica gave a tiny cry and Reda patted her shoulder with her free hand.

"She probably thought we were dead. Leske said they all did but the king. He sent Bhelen a message, but I don't know..." Rica said weakly. A sound had Reda stiffening and Rica gasped. "Reda?"

"You!" Reda commanded one of the male dwarves who jerked and nodded as she beckoned him "Come here. Hold pressure on her wound." He did as instructed and Reda retreated a bit. She picked up an oddly shaped crossbow from the ground nearby and checked it. She raised her voice. "Everyone take cover. _Now_! That is _not_ my people coming!" Now people could hear the clank of armored boots on stone. _Many_ armored boots on stone. Rica gave a small cry as Reda vanished.

"Hold in the name of Orzammar!" A loud voice called and more than one person in the crowd gave cries of relief.

"Here!" The man holding Rica's wound called. "We need a healer here!"

A dozen armored forms appeared at the entrance to the plaza. Rica went still as she saw the House banner. Harrowmont. Oh _shit!_ They did _not_ like the king and the feeling was entirely mutual.

"What happened _here?_ " None of the armored forms approached. No one offered to help as the commander of the force appeared, his eyes scrutinizing the area. Rica stared at the commander and then at the one who Leske had said 'knew' where Shana was. He too was of House Harrowmont.

"He was one of yours." Rica's soft, pained voice silenced the plaza. " _You_ were working with Leske. Did the king ever _get_ the message that I was alive?"

"Well, well, well... The whore lives." The commander of the force said slowly. "Let go of her." He commanded the man holding Rica's wound.

"No." The man wouldn't meet the gaze of the armored dwarf, but he didn't move either. "She will bleed to death if I do. She helped us. Where were _you_?"

 _"She_ is a lying duster who should have been strangled at birth." The commander snapped. "I won't tell you again. Get away from her."

"Do what he says." Rica said sadly. "I am dead either way."

"Don't." Reda's soft voice came from nowhere. "If you _do_ , then he will kill her. Then he will kill the kids and likely any _other_ witnesses. It is what his kind _do_." A murmur of worry came from the crowd and more than one edged away from the armored dwarves. "One chance, traitor. Surrender. Now. Bhelen _might_ be merciful. Doubtful but _possible_. I _won't_ be."

"Whoever you are you have no-" He broke off as Reda appeared standing next to Rica, her crossbow aimed at his chest, but one hand on her throat. "Who are you?"

"My name is _Sereda_ _Aeducan_ and _you_ are trespassing in _my_ family's thaig." Reda said firmly. She released her throat and took careful aim.

"Sereda Aeducan is dead." The officer replied, sounding annoyed. "A bad jest, woman."

" _Is_ she?" A new voice sounded from another side and all eyes were pulled to where a huge hulking form stood. The crystal studded stone form was standing...as if _amused?_ "Then you _might_ want to run before the Ghost of the Tunnels gets you. Because you are making her _angry_ and making her angry is a _bad idea_." The golem shook it's head. "People tend to get very _dead_ , very _quickly_ when she gets angry."

"Hi Shayle." Reda managed to croak out. Shayle looked at her and nodded.

"I have fifty men!" The commander blustered.

"And your point _is?_ " Shayle asked offhand as four _more_ golems appeared behind her and fanned out to either side. They didn't look quite the same as Shayle. Rica was hardly the only one to goggle at that. "Run or _die_ , small fleshy one, it is all the same to me. You nobles are like pigeons. Full of _crap_."

"Hey!" Rica protested weakly. "Not _all_ of them are full of crap. Just _most_." She smiled at the golem who smiled back. But then she fell back, too weak to speak any more. Someone pushed forward to her side and held something to her lips.

"Drink." A female voice said sharply and Rica did as ordered. Warmth spread from her mouth throughout her body. Suddenly, she felt better. Not good, but better. "It hasn't healed you, just kept you from dying." Rica looked up to see a woman with casteless markings in Grey Warden armor kneeling beside her. "Don't move." She warned as she rose and drew two swords. "What is it going to be, Commander? We don't have all _day_." The Grey Warden said with a snort.

"This isn't over." The armored dwarf snapped as he retreated a step.

"For _your_ sake, you better hope it _is_." Reda retorted. A flash of a grimace crossed her face, but then it was gone. "Shayle, can you escort this scum from my thaig?"

"Quicker to just turn them all into paste." The golem replied and the armored dwarves all but fled. The four golems with her followed the armored dwarves.

"You wouldn't...really...?" Rica gasped as pain flared again.

"Don't move!" The Grey Warden snapped as she knelt down beside Rica. "You are hurt bad. You need a _real_ healer, not just a potion."

Everything stopped as the Silent Sister who had been lying still gave a cough. Rica stared as Shana opened her eyes and looked around, wonder crossing her features. Reda jerked back step, her bow aimed at Shana now.

"Shana...?" Rica asked weakly. "But... You were _dead_. You didn't have a _pulse_!" Shana looked at the hurt woman and shrugged.

"I see what they say about Silent Sisters is not exaggerated in any way." The Grey Warden said with a laugh as she looked around the carnage filled plaza. It was easy to see which had been killed by Reda and which by Shana. Shana smiled, but her eyes were on Reda.

'Reda, I didn't know.' Shana signed to Reda. Rica had made a point to learn some of that language and got the gist. 'They must have put something inside me to track me. Maybe to eavesdrop as well?' She nodded to the corpse of the dwarf who had identified her. 'He was one of the healers at the palace. He had a crystal of some kind he was doing something with. Then my chest hurt and I put myself into stasis.'

"I want to trust you, Shana." Reda said aloud, her eyes sweeping the area. "But you know I cannot." Her voice cracked and Shana sat up, alarm all over her face. "I am okay." She said firmly. "Shayle? Status?"

"The small squishy ones have fled the thaig. My warriors have taken up station to be sure they stay away." Shayle said as she stepped forward, the crowd making way for the golem. "You speak again? Are you _well_?"

"For now." Reda said with a smile. "Hurts, but I am okay. I met some incredible healers on the surface. And... _your_ _warriors_?" She asked curiously.

"Long story." Shayle said firmly. "Short answer, yes. Under my command." Reda looked at her friend and nodded.

'Reda, stop talking!' Shana begged in sign. 'You will _hurt_ yourself! They must have put something inside me when I was being healed. A tracker or something. It wasn't _me!_ ' Shayle looked at her and Shana went still.

"I know that language." Shayle said quietly. "It was how Reda communicated for a long time." Reda looked from Shana to Shayle and back. "Reda? Be calm. The others are safe and I have warriors on guard now here." Reda slumped a bit and nodded. She started disassembling her crossbow.

"What of us?" Rica asked as she looked to where her kids were now sleeping in the other woman's arms. She smiled and the other smiled back. "If... If everyone thinks we are dead... I was made to write a message for Bhelen. But I do not know if it was delivered." The Grey Warden and the golem looked at one another for a long moment. Then the Grey Warden turned and left the plaza without a word. Rica stared after her, stunned. "What?"

"She will find out what the king knows." Shayle said quietly. "What of all these?" She asked Reda who gave a deep sigh. "Where did they come from?"

Rica slumped a bit, then spoke. "Leske wanted to be a noble. To do that, he had to have a _House_. He kidnapped people from all over and brought them here. He intended to force them to serve him when he was elevated." Reda's eyes were hard things and Shana's were not much better. "I was his insurance. He felt that Bhelen wouldn't attack with me here."

"Then he was even more of a fool than I thought." Reda froze as pain spiked in her throat.

'Reda! Stop talking!' Shana begged her. 'You are _bleeding_!' Rica went still as Reda put her hand to her throat and it came away bloody.

"Reda, sit _down_." Rica said firmly as Reda stared at her hand. The supine woman indicated the stone beside her and Reda stared at her. " _Not_ after all of this. We are _not_ going to lose you after all of _this_. _Sit down!_ "

'I... I need to...' Reda signed with her bloody hand.

"You need to _rest_." Rica said in a no nonsense tone. Shayle and the others all looked at her and she snarled at them. All of the -even the _golem!_ \- found things to do. Shana looked blank where she lay, but her eyes were twinkling. "And _you_ need to meet your nephew and nieces." She made a preemptory gesture at the stone beside her and Reda grinned. She did as instructed.

'I see you have taken to authority well.' Reda signed and Rica grinned.

"What can I _say_?" Rica shrugged. "Be around people long enough and it rubs off. Ma'am? I...didn't get your name." She asked the woman holding her kids.

"My name is Farma." The old woman said sadly. "My own child is gone these eleven years, but yours are well taught."

"You have my condolences." Rica bowed her head. "May the Stone take up its own." The older woman nodded to her and brought the three kids over. They were awake now. "Endrin, Gillie, Sereda? I want you to meet someone."

"Who is she, Mama?" The boy -Edrin- asked fearfully. Then again, he had just seen horror the likes of which few _adults_ had to deal with. Rica reached out to pull him close and he snuggled to her. The girls were younger and just looked confused. But then the youngest of them jerked and patted Farma's arm. Farma set her down and the youngest girl walked slowly to where Reda lay, eyes wide. She was maybe three years old.

"I know you." The little girl said softly. "Your picture hangs on my wall." Reda swallowed hard and winced.

"It hurts her to speak, honey." Rica said gently. "She can talk like Shana. I know Shana taught you some stuff. Can you introduce yourself that way?"

"Yes, Mama." The girl said with a shy smile. Reda smiled back and the girl's hands moved. Her gestures were less than perfect, but they were understandable.

'My name is Sereda.'


	17. Chapter 17

**Explanations**

It had been some time since Reda had been in the company of other dwarves that she did not know well. Her soldiers, the ones she recruited to her cause, had always known that she preferred silence in most situations. This group were _not_ soldiers. Most were casteless, but some were from other groups. Miners, Smiths, a couple of farmers, a nug wrangler who was lamenting the loss of his herd... There was even a _Shaper apprentice_! How Leska had managed to kidnap _him_ was an open question. The Shapers were well protected. That bore investigation, but at the moment though, Reda had her hands full. Literally.

"-and you were _really_ out on the _surface?"_ Little Sereda's eyes were huge as she stared up at her aunt from Reda's lap. "Is it as _weird_ as they say?" She asked aloud. She wasn't that good with the sign language yet, but she was trying. She understood better than she could sign.

'Yes and then some.' Reda replied in sign with a smile. 'Walking around with nothing above you is scary.' The little girl in her lap shuddered but snuggled close. Reda wasn't sure about this. This was _Bhelen's_ _**daughter**_! In her _lap_! This was just... _wrong_.

The others kids still clung tight to their mother. Shana had recovered from whatever the hell she had done and now stood beside where Rica sat, her face stern. Farma was helping to get the people organized. Luckily for all of them, Leska hadn't been a _total_ fool. He had stockpiled supplies in the thaig. Food, ammunition, drugs, gold, even some lyrium, although not a lot of _that_. The ancient engineers who had built the thaig had done their work well, the fountains and wells still had fresh water running. So food and water were taken care of. The defenses had been cleaned up, and the two ballista that she had seen seemed functional.

Only a complete _idiot_ or someone who was totally _desperate_ would attack openly with Shayle and her 'warriors' in place. Then again, this thaig hadn't been reclaimed. Reda had no idea why. It was close to Orzammar to have been reclaimed during Bhelen's push into the Deep Roads after the Blight had been ended. She wasn't sure why it hadn't been. It was close to Orzammar and it wasn't that large.

Her musing trailed off as little Sereda gave a sigh and fell asleep in her lap. Reda stared down at her namesake and shook her head slowly.

"I will take her." Rica said softly, reaching for the girl. Reda shook her head swiftly and Rica recoiled.

'Don't move too far. You are still hurt. The dagger went deep.' Reda signed as she rose slowly and carefully, holding the slumbering girl gently.

Shana reached out and Reda handed the girl to the Silent Sister. Shana laid little Sereda down beside her mother and covered her with one of the blankets they had found while searching the thaig. Reda did not react and Shana heaved a sign, but did not try to communicate as she resumed her place beside Rica.

"It wasn't her fault, Reda." The mother of Bhelen's children said weakly. "You know that."

'I don't know _anything_ , Lady Rica.' Reda signed firmly. Rica stared at her and then bowed her head. 'Right now? We need to deal with a horde of non-combatants in the Deep Roads.' She looked at Shana and the Silent Sister nodded. Nothing needed to be said. Shana would protect Rica and the kids or die trying as she nearly had before. 'I will be back.'

She started for where Shayle stood by one of the known entrances to the thaig. There were others. She had scouted the place fairly thoroughly after her exile. She hadn't really had any real idea of where the Grey Wardens had been or had been going, so it wasn't any surprise that she hadn't actually found them. So, after a week of searching, she had simply started killing darkspawn every chance she got. But she hadn't charged right in. She had done it smart. Striking from the darkness and vanishing. Darkspawn were not smart but even _they_ got the hint after a while that some tunnels were simply too dangerous to travel. Then she had wound up captured by dwarves she hadn't known and her world had turned upside down.

Shayle watched as Reda approached. The golem wasn't verbose. Indeed, after Reda had met her, it had taken _days_ for Shayle to respond in anything beyond monosyllables. It had taken a _year_ for Reda to realize that the mind inside the stone form had been a woman. But now? That woman encased in stone was Reda's best friend. Maybe her _only_ true friend.

"This seem a bit too easy?" Shayle asked without preamble. Reda nodded. "To me as well. A trap?"

'Maybe.' Reda signed. 'For who?' Shayle shrugged.

"I have news." Shayle said quietly. "Some contacts with the surface reported that your brother sent an emissary to the surface looking for a certain shield." Reda went still and Shayle nodded. "No harm was done and the emissary left empty handed."

Reda relaxed a little. Gorim Saelac had been her bodyguard. The _only_ person she could trust in Orzammar. Her fate had dictated his. If he had remained in Orzammar, he would have tried to kill Bhelen and everyone knew he likely would have _succeeded_. He was _sneaky_ that way. As it was? Reda was happy for her friend. He had a life, a mate and a child on the surface. She had only seen him once since her exile, but it had been a joyful reunion. He had been injured and his leg probably would never be as it was, but she did not mind. _He_ had a life now. _She_ only had a _death_.

"What is more..." Shayle continued. "...your final missive was delivered to the Kal Sharok _scum_." Shayle had never made any attempt to hide her disdain for the dwarves of Kal Sharok. _Especially_ after she had learned of their treatment of Reda. "Their scouts have approached the sanctuary I set up. They have been turned back." Reda grunted and Shayle shook her massive head. "It would seem that the newest members of the Kal Sharok leadership were _not_ apprised of what had been done to you." Reda shrugged.

'Kids are safe. I am free now.' Reda signed at the golem. ' _Screw 'em_.'

"Lady Gaz had been trying to open communication." Shayle offered. Reda looked at her. "She seems rather fervent about it." Reda hawked and spat. Shayle nodded. "Figured that would be your response. You should have _heard_ what Warden Sigrun said to them. She has a _loud_ voice when she wants to. She was quite _rude_."

"Good.' Reda signed. 'Anything else?'

" _Your_ voice?" Shayle asked carefully.

'Healer on the surface took out some scar tissue.' Reda signed. 'Hurts right now. Little bit of blood. But it _was_ working. So... we shall see.'

"You are not going to ask about my warriors, are you?" Shayle said softly. Reda shook her head. "Why not?"

' _Your_ business." Reda signed firmly. 'Not _mine_.'

"Reda." Shayle said quietly. "I do not know what to say."

'I know you have secrets, Shayle.' Reda signed. 'I do too. But I also know _you_. And frankly? I do _not_ want you mad at me.'

"There is a saying on the surface..." Shayle said slowly. "Something about 'a pot calling a kettle something'?" Reda looked at the golem and Shayle smiled. "Seems appropriate. What did you think of the surface?"

'Weird.' Reda signed with a frown. 'Not bad. Just _weird_. The 'sky' was just... off. Met some...interesting people up there. A pair of incredible healers. Some elves. A group called the 'Inquisition'. There are all kinds of messes breaking out up there and they seem to be trying to fix them.'

"Never heard of _them_." Shayle mused. Then she shook her head. "What are your plans now?"

'I had _planned_ to take the kids deeper into the Roads.' Reda signed with a frown. 'Find an abandoned thaig and refurbish it. Try to find homes for the kids or at least get them _some_ kind of future." Shayle looked at her and Reda flushed. 'I know. It is crazy, but no crazier than what that loony Carta was trying to do _here_.' Shayle shook her head and Reda continued. 'This place is _far_ too close to Orzammar. I know it well, but... too close. My men?'

"Three died in the ambush." Shayle said gently. "Two more of wounds. The remaining four are staying with the kids."

'Good.' Reda signed. 'One thing...' She turned her body so that her hands were hidden from all but the golem. 'When I met Shana on the surface, she spun a tale about Bhelen knowing where I was all along.' Shayle went still at that and Reda nodded just a little. 'Do not know whether to believe it or not, but the _only_ way they could have known _that_...'

"...is if they had an agent or agents among your men." Shayle completed the thought softly. "Damn."

' _Our_ men, Shayle." Reda signed. _'You_ have always been as much their leader as _I_ have been.'

"We have had this argument before." Shayle said with a smile that Reda shared. But then the smile faded. "So now?"

'I can't just _leave_ , Shayle.' Reda shook her head. 'I _want_ to. This whole _mess_ stinks of Bhelen. I can _see_ him using his wife and kids as pawns. He knows my triggers. He knows I cannot leave _civilians_ in harm's way. I _cannot_.'

"What does he stand to gain?" Shayle asked and Reda paused. "He has to stand to gain _something_ from any plot. So... what?"

'Shana said he was interested in my crossbow.' Reda signed after a moment. She chuckled without mirth. 'Almost wish he _would_ try to use it. The look on his face as it blew up in his face would be _priceless_.'

"He would delegate it." Shayle said quietly. Reda frowned but then nodded. "So...what?" Reda held out a hand to the golem. In it lay a tiny metal rod. A piece of Reda's crossbow. "Reda..."

'Without the retaining bolt, the weapon _can_ be assembled but it will _explode_ as soon as it is activated. This weapon cannot _ever_ be duplicated, Shayle.' Reda signed carefully. 'The thought of my brother or so many others getting hold of such power _sickens_ me. Even if my oath to its maker was not in question, it is _far_ too powerful." She stared around the plaza at the bodies that were being moved to lie in piles. 'I trust you, Shayle. As I trust no one else in my life, I _do_ trust you.'

"Do not." Shayle said simply and Reda froze. "The Shapers of Orzammar have been trying to control me." Reda's eyes went wide and then flat. "If they _do_ manage to... Then they will take control of my warriors as well. None of _them_ have free will. I will _likely_ break their control. But may take some time. When that happens, I will rampage. _Until_ it happens, I would not be able to resist any commands they gave."

"Shapers..." Reda's voice was barely a croak and Shayle looked at her. She switched back to sign. 'What is a Shaper _apprentice_ doing _here_?'

She looked to where the Shaper was sitting, reading something. But his eyes were on Reda and Shayle. He stiffened as he saw them looking at him. Reda started walking towards him, Shayle at her heels. He rose, his face a mask. Reda looked at him and discarded subterfuge. She raised a hand to her throat.

"Why are you here?" Reda asked calmly.

"They needed a historian." The Shaper said calmly.

"They didn't kidnap you, did they?" Reda asked, still calm. The Shaper shook his head and a murmur went around as others stopped to listen. An ugly murmur. "What did they offer?"

"The King has lost control." The Shaper said quietly. "Food riots have happened with more and more frequency in the last few months."

"And of _course_..." The sarcasm in Shayle's voice simply dripped. "...the Carta had _nothing_ to do with that."

"I do not know." The Shaper was still calm. Reda was fairly sure that he wasn't an _apprentice_ no matter what he said. No apprentice was that calm. "My duty is as it has always been. To the Memories. To the truth."

"Truth?" Reda demanded. Her voice hurt, but she continued. "What the _hell_ does _anyone_ in the Diamond Quarter care about the _truth?_ " The Shaper actually recoiled a step as she stepped right up to him. "Oh, wait... I forgot! You _care_ if you oh so easy lives see _any_ disruption, but otherwise? Who _cares?_ " She nearly screamed the last. "Stone take them all if they inconvenience you in any way, but _otherwise_? You have _your_ lives and _your_ plots so _ignore_ them all! Let them _starve_. Let them _rot_! They don't _matter!_ The truth is inconvenient, so it is altered any time you Shapers will it!"

"Reda!" Rica begged. "Don't..."

To Reda's surprise, the Shaper did not recoil further. He also did not appear to be angry. Instead, he looked sad.

"Yes." He said with a deep, apparently heartfelt sigh. Reda paused. She hadn't expected that answer. "The truth _has_ been altered. By _Shapers_." Reda stared at him and he shook his head. "We have forgotten so much. We have _deliberately_ forgotten so much..." He nodded to Shayle who looked at him impassive. "Until the Warden came and found the Anvil of the Void... None of us _knew_ where the golems had come from... No one _remembered_." He bowed his head. "That is not right." He said firmly. "That is _never_ right."

"Pretty words." Reda snapped.

" _That_ is why I am here." The Shaper said softly. "Not to _aid_ the Carta. But to _chronicle_. To _remember_ what happens. To put it in the Memories. Unaltered." Reda stared at him and his face became stern. "Do you have _any_ idea what is it like to find out that almost _everything_ you thought you knew was a _lie_ or a _half truth_?" Reda shook her head slowly and the Shaper nodded. "We were _devastated_ when we discovered where the golems came from. None of the Memories even _hinted_ at such. And so much more that was altered or removed has been rediscovered in the thaigs we have reclaimed... it is sickening."

"Are you surprised?" Shayle asked, her tone oddly gentle.

"Part of me is, yes." The Shaper said sadly. He shook his head. "The rest of me?" He sighed. "I know that politics is a constant and putting things into the Memories that is 'inconvenient' for people in power can have... unpleasant repercussions. But we are _supposed_ to be better than that." He bowed his head again. "And we were _not_." He raised his face and met Reda's eyes. "My name is Fodrik and I was -as you have no doubt surmised- a Master Shaper. Now? I am an exile. I left of my own free will and refused to return when ordered."

Rica inhaled sharply from where she lay and then coughed wetly. She was not the only one so startled. Several people murmured in shock. The thought was preposterous. But there it was.

"Why the _Carta_?" Reda demanded. "You Shapers know what they were and are."

"I did not come for _them_." Fodrik said quietly. "I came for the _truth_. If that kills me, then so be it. But I will _not_ _**knowingly**_ put _lies_ into the Memories." This was an oath.

Reda stared at the Shaper for a long moment. Then she stepped back and held out her hand. He looked down at it and then at Reda who smiled.

"Welcome to exile and a small chance to make things a bit better." Reda said with a grin that faded. "I don't want to start a civil war. Can you help?" The Shaper reached out and took her hand, gave a shake and released it.

"I think it has already _started_ , Milady." Fodrik said sadly. "With House Harrowmont _openly_ sending troops to assist the Carta here... it will spark violence if it hasn't already."

"I _refuse_ to be a spark that pits all of Orzammar against itself. I have seen too much bloodshed while defending Orzammar to do anything else no matter how much I hate it." Reda said and then coughed. She spat into her hand and the phlem was bloody. Fodrik and Shayle both looked worried, but she waved their concerned away. "We have bigger problems than my _throat_. I haven't paid any attention to Orzammar. What is happening there?"

"Stop talking, Reda." Shayle said firmly. "I can translate." Reda looked at her friend, and nodded. Shayle was _not_ happy.

"A great deal of unrest has surfaced in recent months." Fodrik sat on a convenient rock with a frown. "Most of it was laid at the feet of the Carta, but the noble houses also had their hands in. 'Accidents' and open assassinations were happening far more frequently. There had been food riots in several quarters. Reprisals swept through Dusttown regularly." Reda looked at him and Fordrik sighed. "The King thought the riots were engineered by the Carta. Maybe they were. Leske talked as if some of them were. But starvation is hard to ignore and desperate people do desperate things."

'Agreed.' Reda signed to Shayle who repeated. 'So most of the Houses are conspiring against the King, the Carta was behind a lot of mischief, but they just had their _head_ chopped off...' She looked to where Leska's body had been laid out. She shook her head as Shayle repeated everything she had signed. 'So... Why does Bhelen want the shield of Aeducan? What _good_ would it do him?'

"I do not know." Fodrik said after a moment's thought. "It is a relic of your House, but... _Is_ it just a shield?"

'It was when I saw it.' Reda signed. 'Standard round shield construction, if ancient. Solid though, even as old as it was."

"That doesn't make any _sense_ then." Fodrik complained after Shayle had translated. "He _wouldn't_ have sent people after it if it _didn't_ have _some_ purpose."

'True... I...' Reda froze in mid-sign. Something was _wrong!_ She stared around and went even more still as she saw the other people of the crowd slumping to the ground, their faces slack. Gas! Reda fumbled for her belt as Fodrik gave a groan and collapsed. She had a mask to protect her, but she was weak and slow. The gas? "SHAYLE! _BUGOUT!_ "

For once, Shayle did not argue. The golem fled. Whoever was doing this had to have planned for her to be there. Had to have _some_ kind of counter for golems.

Reda almost had her mask out of it's pouch when a blow from behind threw her to the ground and an armored boot landed on her hand. She stared up into Shana's face. The Silent Sister wore some kind of mask now over her nose and mouth and her eyes were sad as her hand flew at Reda's skull.

Reda never felt the blow.


	18. Chapter 18

**Complications**

Reda was not dreaming. Dwarves did not dream.

But this was really _weird_.

Reda was lying on something soft and comfortable. She felt a warm mass shift beside her and she jerked as small hands hugged her. But... she couldn't. Or... She wasn't fettered, she knew _that_ feeling, But her body did not react when she demanded it rise. Sit up. Anything. Fear came, followed by anger. But it faded. Murmurs came to her ears, but Reda could make no sense of them. Then a familiar scared voice cried in her ear.

"Aunt Reda!" Little Sereda was _crying_. " _Please_ wake up! Mama is _crying!_ I... No!" The little girl cried. "No!" She begged as movement was felt. "No, I won't _go_! Let me _stay_! Let me _stay! Auuuunt Redaaaaa...!_ " The girl wailed and then was gone.

The pressure beside Reda vanished with the girl's voice. She felt bereft as something settled over her nose and mouth and the world went away.

* * *

She was floating. Everything was a hazy shade of blue. The color of pure lyrium. She felt pressure on her scalp, on her throat. But nothing seemed to penetrate the haze. She couldn't see anything but blue. Couldn't feel anything.

Then it all went away again.

* * *

A familiar voice roused Reda partway.

"Healer, you do not seem to _understand_." Rica's voice was weak, but the anger in it was clear. "If I or another familiar face is not _here_ when she wakes, she _will_ likely _**kill**_ whoever is here. She may kill _me_ anyway." A murmur and Rica snapped at whoever it was. "No, it is _you_ who does not _understand!_ _She_ survived _everything_ our people _and_ the darkspawn did to her! She _fought_ for _ten years_ in the Deep Roads, often _alone!_ " Rica was on a _roll_ and Reda could not help but admire the rant despite her...detachment. " _None_ of your people have a _chance_ against her, restrained or no. You will _not_ be able to hold her! And you better _pray_ that you don't _hurt_ her." This last was cold and hard. "Why? Because the _Stone_ will have mercy before her _friends_ will. You don't _know_ scary, healer. I _saw_ what she did at the thaig." The murmur sounded different now. "Yes. _Do_ that."

A hand touched Reda's. She tried to flinch, but she couldn't. It grasped her hand gently.

"They say you are partly awake. Just not all the way. That you cannot wake up." Rica's voice was sad and sick. "I don't know, Reda. They say that they thought it was still the Carta at the thaig. I... I don't know if that is true or not. The troops gassed us all. They say it was just supposed to knock us out, let the troops come in and get me and the kids. You either got a stronger dose or you are allergic or something. They don't know. By the Stone, Reda! Shana didn't _know!_ You were struggling with your belt, where your _poisons_ were. She wasn't sure _what_ you were reaching for. She couldn't have known it was a mask like hers. She blames herself! Please, Reda. We need you. _Now_ more than ever! Come on, Reda. _Fight_! It is _all_ you know how to _do_. Wake the hell _up_!"

The murmur came again and Rica snarled.

"Do you have _any_ idea the _mess_ that she will make when she wakes if you _dare_ to do that?" Rica demanded. Suddenly her tone changed. "Shana, this man wants to cut holes in Reda's _skull_." The sound of a crash came and Rica laughed without mirth. "She just saved your _life_ , Healer. If the _golem_ had seen you with a trepanning kit... you would be _paste_ right about now." The murmur sounded different. "No, I _stay_. That is nonnegotiable. I don't _care_ what you _think_ , healer. I want _facts_. Not _suppositions_. And if you _dare_ to cut her open without permission, I _will_ find a way to give you to _Shayle._ " This last was cold and hard. Reda herself might not have bettered the tone.

The murmur came again and it almost made sense. But then the world went away again.

* * *

"Rica, come away."

Rica did not look at the voice. She knew who was speaking. She knew him well. She kept her hand on Reda's still one. The scar faced female warrior looked so fragile wearing a thin gown and lying on the bed of the private room in the middle of the main healer ward. So lost and alone even without the fresh bandages on her head and throat. So _unlike_ herself when she was awake.

"If she sees or _hears_ you..." Rica knew she sounded awful. Tired and sick. "She will _freak_."

"Maybe that would help her wake up." Bhelen Aeducan came up and took his wife's free hand in both of his own. "I had given up hope." He kissed her hand.

"Really?" Rica asked sourly. "That gas came quickly and with no warning. They were _already_ in place, weren't they? The thaig was _rigged_ even before Leske arrived with me. They were just _waiting_ for Reda to _show_."

"Not for this." Bhelen said sadly. "I didn't _know_ she was coming. Didn't know _any_ of this. I never _got_ the message that Leske sent. Shana never sent any either." Rica did not meet his gaze and he shook his head. "Rica, I didn't _know_ you and the kids were _alive_ until the Grey Warden came. And..." Shame sounded in his tone now. "I didn't believe her. Not until the troops at the thaig sent word. They acted precipitously when they thought Reda might leave... but..."

"Don't _lie_ to me." Rica snapped. "Now that you have Edrin back, will you cast me, Gillie and Sereda aside? Take a new mate?"

"No, Rica." Bhelen said sadly. "The truth is, the trap _was_ originally for Sereda. We knew she had been in and out of the thaig regularly. We had hoped to capture her. We needed - _still_ need- her alive." Rica went still and Bhelen gave a deep sigh. "But once the Carta arrived with you, the forces there were cut off. They only had _three_ soldiers on station. They had supplies, but no _orders_. I didn't know you were _alive_." He gave a small sob. "I would have _come_ , Rica."

"Six weeks, Bhelen." Rica said with a growl worthy of an Ogre. "Six STONE DAMNED _weeks!_ They chained me to a _wall_! Fed me and the kids slop from _animal dishes!_ Made us _relieve ourselves like animals!_ " She was crying now as Bhelen gathered her up. "I hate you! I _hate_ you!" She screamed.

"I know and I deserve it. I... I was hurt, but... I was so lost in grief that lots of stuff happened that I didn't plan. For right now though... You need healing too, honey." Bhelen held his wife gently and carried her easily from the room. "That scum's dagger nearly killed you."

"Someone she knows _has_ to be here when she wakes, Bhelen." Rica begged. "Or she _will_ fight. You know it. And if it is _Shana_ , she will _kill_ Shana and Shana will _let_ her."

"Rica, she may _not_ wake." Bhelen said softly. Rica went still and Bhelen froze in mid-step. "And _no_." He said firmly. " _Nothing_ will happen to her at my order. The other guards are handpicked. If she wakes and tries to flee, they will _let_ her. They are under orders to protect her, but to let her get her gear and _go_ if she can move. And no, the healers will do no more procedures without our okay. _We_ are her next of kin. While she is _here_ , the guards will protect her just as Shana is." Rica stared back at the door to Reda's room and Bhelen shook his head and his voice turned wry. "No, I am not even going to _try_. I know _better_ than to try to argue with a Silent Sister. All it gets you is a _sore throat_."

"Yeah." Rica was crying and laughing in equal measure. Then she was just sobbing. "Oh, Bhelen, she was _kind!_ She was so good with little Sereda! She was... It _was_... I _couldn't_..."

"Shhh..." Bhelen hugged her gently. "She is not dead yet. Come on. You need to get _your_ wound tended again and then you need rest." He entered another room and set her on the bed there.

"If _anything_ happens to her, Bhelen..." Rica said weakly as a pair of white garbed healers stepped close.

"I know." Bhelen said quietly as he stepped out to let the healers work. A Royal Guardsman stood nearby and Bhelen nodded. "Report."

"No information on the golems, Sire." The guard said quietly. "No signs of them anywhere."

"That worries me." Bhelen said with a frown and the guard nodded. "The guard rotation set?"

"Yes, Sire." He said and then paused. "One thing Sire... The Silent Sister...? How _long_ can she stand guard at the woman's bedside?" Bhelen just looked at him and the guard swallowed hard. "No offense to her, but she _is_ mortal."

"She struck Reda down." Bhelen said quietly. "She thought Reda was reaching for her poisons, not a gas mask. She didn't _know_ what was happening, just that the gas was putting people to sleep. She recognized the gas. Several of the toxins in Reda's belt _would_ have reacted badly -in one case _explosively!_ \- to the gas." The guard shuddered and Bhelen nodded. "She hit Reda harder than she planned. She feels she owes Reda a life and no one _sane_ is going to argue with her now that her Order's Sister Superior has been by and accepted the oath as valid. _I_ am certainly not going to." The King of Orzammar said with a shudder of his own.

"Just shows how wise and sane you are, Sire." The guard said with a nod. Bhelen grinned, but then sobered.

"We are on a knife edge here as it is. If anything _else_ happens to her, this will get _bad_. Very fast." The king said with a sigh. "Are the troops up?"

"Yes, Sire." The guard said quietly. "Four regiments of Warrior Caste stand ready. There have been rumbles from the Shaperate." Bhelen growled and the guard nodded. "Sire, we _could_ let them try to replicate that crossbow. It would take time, but we _could_."

"No. I am willing to _bet_ that Shana is correct and Sereda trapped it." Bhelen said sourly. "It is _just_ the kind of sneaky trick my sister would _do_. Pass the word to _all_ of the guards, do _not_ underestimate her. Ever. Even unconscious, she is _still_ dangerous. Half of the tools and toxins she was carrying were trapped." The guard shifted a little and Bhelen frowned. "Little Sereda has been clamoring to stay with her, hasn't she?"

"Loudly." The guard said with a nod. "Kid keeps trying to get in."

"I do not see the little one causing any _further_ harm." Bhelen said with a frown. "Between the gas and the concussion... None of the healers are optimistic." He slumped a bit.

"All this time, wondering if she was going to come after me... and she may doom all of us by _dying_."

* * *

 **The Deep Roads**

"Stone Cracked Blighted _Fools!_ " Sigrun was in rare form as she stalked through the Deep Roads. The few darkspawn she encountered just fanned the flames of her anger. None of them lasted long enough for her to work out her frustrations.

"Whoa! Slow down there..."A familiar voice had Sigrun pausing in mid rant. She spun to see three other forms in Grey Warden armor. A dwarf and two humans. The dwarf she knew. He shook his head and his long red beard shook as he shifted his two handed axe from his right shoulder to his left. "Wow. I never thought to see the day _Little Miss Cheerful_ was so mad."

"And now, my day is truly _complete!_ " Sigrun snapped. " _Hello_ _**Oghren**_. Fancy meeting _you_ here."

"Something weird going on, Sigrun." Oghren said with a scowl. He waved his free hand at his companions who looked uneasy. "We were hearing things until we got into the Stone. Now it's all gone." He grimaced. "And I ain't even _drunk_ yet."

"I thought it was my Calling too." Sigrun said softly. The others stared at her and she sighed. "I was ready."

"This isn't the Calling." One of the human Wardens said with a grunt. "At least... not like any I heard of." He shrugged as Sigrun looked at him. "We hear tales, but... Never anything concrete."

"So whatever it is, it is just on the surface?" The other Warden asked.

"Either that or the Stone masks us." Sigrun gave a shrug of her own. "No real clue. Been a bit busy."

"Yeah." Oghren said sourly. "What's got your knickers in a twist? We have been tracking your kills for half a day." Sigrun looked at him and he shrugged. "Nothing better to do but kill darkspawn. But you left a ruler straight line of _bodies_ from Orzammar. What _happened_?"

"Orzammar caught Reda." Sigrun said softly. Oghren and the Wardens went still and she nodded. _All_ of the Wardens in the area knew who Reda was. Who she _had_ been. Many had fought beside her or knew Wardens who _had_. _None_ would betray her. They had asked her to join them a few times and she had refused each time, saying she needed to die, not become a Warden."I was with Shayle and..."

" _Shayle?_ How _is_ that big lump of rock? Haven't seen her in forever!" Oghren asked, roaring with glee. "We made _such_ a _mess_ at Denerim together..." He broke off as Sigrun actually _snarled_ at him.

"Madder than _hell_." The petite dwarven Warden said with a growl.

"Oh _shit_." Oghren said with a gulp. "Uh... at _us_?" The others looked confused as he pulled his very large flask from his belt and took a long swig of whatever was in it. He burped loud and long. Then he stopped his flask, returning it to his belt.

"I don't know." Sigrun admitted. "I am looking for her. They...um... they _gassed_ Reda." Oghren went still and Sigrun nodded. "I saw her for a moment when they carried her out and back to Orzammar. She looked _bad_ , Oghren. I don't know if she will make it. And Shayle... Shayle just _vanished_. She had a _bunch_ of other golems with her."

" _More_ golems?" Oghren asked, stunned. He took another long swig of his drink. "How _many_ more?"

"I don't know." Sigrun said with a shrug. "I saw a large group. At least two dozen." Oghren's eyes went huge, the other Wardens' likewise. Two dozen golems in a group made many _armies_ look weak. "Do you know what Kal Sharok did to Reda?"

"I heard some." For once, Oghren was serious. Then again, he _knew_ what Reda was capable of. He _had_ fought beside the Tunnel Ghost a time or two. "They hurt her and then enlisted her."

" _Enslaved her_ is more like." Sigrun said flatly and Oghren went totally still. "Yeah. They took a bunch of orphan kids, poisoned them and gave them to her. They gave her supplies of the antidote every so often. They knew she wouldn't just _let_ kids die." The male dwarf looked pissed now and the other two Wardens looked barely less angry.

"Oh shit." Oghren repeated flatly. "And Shayle... She knows." Not a question, but Sigrun nodded. "And now... _Bhelen_ has Reda." Sigrun nodded again. "Well, hell. This _was_ good day." He took another drink and offered the flask to Sigrun who took it and swallowed a hefty draught. "Don't be greedy, girl."

"It's been a bad day, Oghren." Sigrun said with sigh as she handed the flask back. "I think I will head for the thaig where Shayle had the kids set up temporarily." Oghren looked at her and Sigrun shrugged. "Maybe I can head Shayle off. Talk to her."

"You _really_ think so?" Oghren asked quietly. Sigrun shook her head. "Yeah, me neither."

All four Wardens froze as they all sensed the same thing. Darkspawn. _Lots_ of darkspawn. None of them spoke. Nothing really needed to be said. Sigrun drew her swords, Oghren hefted his axe, the humans drew a sword and shield and a bow respectively. They set themselves and...

"What the hell is _that_?" The human Warden with the bow asked softly as a resounding thunder seemed to echo through the entire Deep Roads. The humans looked at the dwarves, but they were just as confused. Neither had heard anything like it underground before. Whatever it was, it was loud and kept getting louder. "The darkspawn are getting closer."

" _Bring em on!_ " A fierce red light lit Oghren's eyes and his allies shied away from him, just a little as he swung his two handed axe as if it were light as a feather. No one wanted to be _too_ close to a berserker.

Just then, a massive tide of filth turned a corner in the Deep Road ahead of them, but... something was wrong. The darkspawn were not charging the Grey Wardens. None of them were even _looking_ at the Grey Wardens! Most of them were looking _behind_ themselves! As if... fleeing? Sigrun stared and then blanched.

 _"GET OFF THE ROAD!"_ Sigrun screamed as the horde of darkspawn ran towards them. She dodged to the side, the other three following her into a small cross tunnel. The darkspawn ran right _by_ them, not even _slowing_.

"What the _hell_?" Oghren complained, but trailed off as the thunder got even louder. Then they saw what was _making_ it.

They ran five wide. Golems. They _filled_ the Deep Road. The thunder was their feet hitting the stone. They ran in perfect unison, a perfect slow moving formation, with none of the stumbling that golems normally showed in their movements. The passing ranks went on and on. Finally, the massive formation of golems ended and Sigrun stepped slowly to the edge of the Deep Road, staring both ways carefully as the thunder faded into the distance.

"Ten ranks..." Sigrun said into the silence that seemed utterly profound with the thunder diminishing in the distance. She felt somewhere between _awe_ and _terror_. " _Fifty_ golems..." The other Wardens looked just as stunned.

"Are they going where I _think_ they are?" The human with the shield looked ashen and Sigrun could relate.

"That road goes straight to _Orzammar_." Sigrun said weakly. "They... Oh no... Shayle, what are you _doing_?"

 _ **"**_ _ **This one does what it must.**_ _ **"**_ Shayle's voice boomed from nearby and all four of the Wardens spun to see six more golems striding towards them. Not running. And not _just_ golems. Four dwarves in dark uniforms walked in their midst, some of them carrying small forms. Other small forms walked with them. All of the dwarves looked scared but determined. Shayle stopped in front of Sigrun and looked at the pale dwarven swordswoman. _**"**_ _ **They will PAY.**_ _ **"**_

"We do not know that she is _dead_ , Shayle!" Sigrun pleaded. "We _don't_!"

"No." Shayle's voice moderated a little. "But I will _find out_ if I have to tear that filthy city down to its _foundations_. She is my _friend!_ "

Sigrun looked at the other Wardens and all four nodded as one.

"We are with you."


	19. Chapter 19

**Choices**

" _What_ did you say?"

It wasn't every day that the King of Orzammar felt as if the Stone had fallen out from underneath his feet. It had happened far more frequently recently, but he had hoped that with Rica and the kids back that his world would stabilize a bit. The kids needed help. None had been physically hurt but all were traumatized. Rica also needed help. She _had_ been hurt and she was just as traumatized. She needed time and rest. The healers had given her something to help her sleep and he hoped she had taken it.

He really did not want her _awake_ for what he feared was coming.

"We cannot be sure... of the numbers, Your Majesty..." The out of breath soldier who had brought the news to the palace was where he had fallen, on his hands and knees, panting. "The darkspawn came... we started action... then they all _died_. And..."

"Soldier. Calm down." Bhelen said softly as one of his guards stepped to where the soldier was kneeling. " _Slow_ breaths. _Deep_ breaths." He commanded and the trooper nodded, taking deep breaths. In a few moments, he had stopped panting and the guardsman helped him to his feet. Bhelen nodded. "Now. Tell me again. What happened?"

"Your Majesty..." The soldier said through his breathing. "We had word of a mass of darkspawn from our scouts. We had the traps ready. They hit the traps and stalled. There were a lot of them, but the traps and fixed defenses would have handled them. Then the scouts sent word of something _else_ coming. They didn't say _what_ so we assumed more darkspawn."

"But it wasn't." Bhelen said quietly.

"Golems, your Majesty." The soldier said weakly. "They hit the darkspawn and... Slaughter doesn't _begin_ to describe it. We couldn't get an accurate count. At least thirty. Probably more."

"More than _thirty_ golems..." Someone in the room said in a soft, incredulous voice. "By the _Stone_..."

"And...after?" Bhelen asked, just as unnerved. No one had seen so many golems in one place for _centuries_. Even _Orzammar's_ main defenses would have difficulty standing against such a force.

"After slaughtering the darkspawn... they just...stood there." The soldier said weakly. "None of us knew what to do. No one wanted to start a fight. Lieutenant sent me to the Palace with the word." He bowed his head. "That is all I know, Your Majesty."

"Right." Bhelen said with a sigh. "Okay. Get something to drink, catch your breath completely and then get back to your post. _Don't_ kill yourself running back. I think we will need every soldier if this goes bad." The soldier paled.

"Are we going to have to fight them, Sire?" The man nearly begged. "I don't want to fight those things."

"Those 'things' were dwarves once." Bhelen said mildly and the soldier froze. "But for what it is _worth_? I don't want to fight them _either_. We have _enough_ problems." The soldier bowed and Bhelen nodded. "Go on." The soldier was escorted out of the room by a Royal Guardsman. More to keep the man from staggering than an actual guard. "Golems... Well... now we know where the ones with Reda went."

"That is not proven, your majesty." Bhelen fought hard not to sigh as he turned to the dwarf who stood closest to the throne except for the guards. "And this is an opportunity."

"To do _what_ , exactly, Shaper Thresk?" Bhelen asked mildly. " _Every_ time your people tried to control _one_ golem it smashed them _flat_." A wince went around the throne room at that, but Bhelen was beyond caring. "What will you do against _thirty_?"

" _If_ that is all of them." The voice of Bhelen's captain of guards was quiet and Bhelen nodded. "Shayle of House Cadash is many things. She is _not_ an idiot. She _will_ have a reserve."

"That is just stupid. Golems are _machines_! Calling a golem by name is just as silly as some people saying they came from our people. The facts-" The Shaper broke off with a squeak of fear as the guard captain's sword left its scabbard. Calling the captain stupid to his face was...unwise.

"Captain Ivo!" Bhelen commanded as the furious guard captain took a step forward. "Sheathe your sword." Ivo jerked and then did as ordered. Bhelen smiled and it was _not_ a nice smile. "If _anyone_ gets to kill him for being an idiot, _I_ do."

"Your Majesty!" The Shaper protested. "You cannot-"

"Shut up." Bhelen's words were quiet, but carried dreadful force. The Shaper goggled at him, but closed his mouth with a click. " _Every_ time I listen to you, somehow I sink further and further into a _cesspit_. I am finding it harder and harder to believe that is a _coincidence_."

"Your Majesty!" The Shaper protested. "I-" He broke off as Bhelen's glare landed on him full force.

"What part of 'shut up' do you not understand?" Bhelen asked coldly. "The _only_ reason you are still _breathing_ is that I don't know who you are really working for. It isn't _me_. It isn't the _Shaperate_. It isn't even the Carta." Shaper Thresk stared at the king, his face slowly paling. "I was curious. But now? That has ended. We have a _crisis_ to handle and we do not need _enemy agents_ in our midst to do so. Guards." Two guards stepped forward at Bhelen's wave to flank the now quivering Shaper. "Don't worry Shaper. You are not going to die for a long, _long_ time."

That was a grim promise. The Shaper collapsed to his knees. The guards took hold and manhandled him to the door. Bhelen shook his head after the door had shut.

"Now the _Shapers_." The king said sorrowfully. "How did I let this go so wrong, so fast, Captain?"

"Not all of the Shapers. And... You were grieving, Sire." Captain Ivo said softly as he resumed his place. "I apologize for my loss of control, Your Majesty." He said formally.

"Come off it! _Both_ of us want his head on a _spike_ , Captain Ivo." Bhelen said with grunt. "Bad enough that he sold information on what we were doing. But those stupid experiments and convincing so many people that golems are just _machines_ made of rock..." The king shook his head. "Do we have _any_ idea what the Shapers were doing?"

"The only source of information we have currently on clandestine activities within the Shaperate is the Shaper we found when we got to Aeducan thaig." Ivo said with a wince that the king shared. Not the _greatest_ moment in Orzammar's military history. Gassing hostages after they were _freed_ was downright _embarrassing_! "And _he_ refuses to talk to us."

"Would he talk to me?" Bhelen asked quietly. Ivo shook his head. "Why not?" The king asked, curious.

"The troops in the thaig could not hear a lot." Ivo said with a frown that showed even through his closed faceplate. "But they saw him talk to the elder Sereda and the golem. He said he was exiled. That was what decided them to use the gas. They needed to keep her there. Those were their orders." Bhelen just looked at the captain and the guard captain sighed. "Yes. I _agree_. The long period spent in what was essentially confinement was not good for them. I would call none of them _sane_ after six weeks in a tiny room with just each other for company. But they _did_ obey their orders and accomplish their mission. Do we punish them for that?"

"I want to." Bhelen growled. "By the _Stone_ I _want_ to. We need my sister awake and aware. But no. This... this hurts, Ivo." He admitted. "Even if she demands _my_ death, _yours_ and the deaths of everyone else connected with what happened to her, we _must_ give them to her." Ivo winced but nodded. "To save Orzammar? We will do what we must."

"Do you think she will- What?" Ivo snapped as a rap came on the door to the throne room.

"Grey Wardens ask for an audience!" The call came.

Bhelen and the others in the room exchanged glances. The timing could not be a coincidence. The others in the room moved to the side, Ivo moved to flank the throne as the doors were flung open and four figures in Grey Warden armor entered. Two were known. One was _infamous_! Ivo winced as he looked at Oghren. One glance told the story, the warrior roaring drunk and angrier than _hell_. _Not_ a good combination. Stopping him would get a lot of soldiers hurt. Or worse.

"You are welcome in Orzammar, Grey Wardens." Captain Ivo said formally. "But your timing is... curious."

"Not that curious." One of the humans said with a nod to the captain. "We were in the Deep Roads when a _troop_ of golems passed us heading this way. We... know the troop's commander and we prevailed on her to let us act as emissaries." Ivo stared at the Warden, hope blossoming. That hope died at the next words. "We are as angry as she is. We have fought beside the one called the Ghost of the Tunnels. She has proven herself a brave and skilled hunter of darkspawn. We honor those who fight with us. Why do you _not_?" There was no anger in the Grey Warden's words, just wariness and a hint of sadness.

Ivo opened his mouth to respond, but the king beat him to it. Everything stopped as the king rose from his throne.

"I have made a number of mistakes, many very recently." King Bhelen said quietly. Oghren opened his mouth and Sigrun elbowed him sharply in the side where his armor was hinged. It made a clang. No one commented. "I did what I did eleven years ago, believing that it was the best thing for Orzammar. My sister had no _desire_ to rule. My brother was fundamentally _incapable_ of ruling. His arrogance..." Bhelen trailed off and shook his head. "Trian as king would have been a disaster for Orzammar. He was a warrior and nothing else. He didn't think he needed to _be_ anything else. Compromise was alien to his existence. Sereda as queen?" He shrugged a little. "I don't know. She would not have made the same mistakes I have."

"Is Reda alive?" The human warden asked. Not _quite_ a demand. Bhelen nodded. "We need to see her. Shayle will not take _anyone's_ word. _She_ will need to see Reda."

"We can do that. She is alive, but she is unconscious." Bhelen said sadly. "The gas... She must have been allergic. But she shows no other signs. The healers are confused." The Wardens looked at each other and the king went still. "What?"

"Your Majesty... She probably knew you were trying to catch her. Others had caught her and hurt her very badly when they did." The human said quietly and Bhelen felt his world start to flip flop. "What would _you_ do in such a situation?"

"No!" Bhelen breathed in horror. "If she _dies_... we are _screwed_." All of the Warden looked at him, confused and Bhelen gave a deep sigh. "This will be common knowledge shortly. No one is supposed to know outside of this room at the moment, but four of the lava tubes that surround Orzammar have been blocked by falling rock." The humans looked blank, but both dwarves jerked. Oghren actually looked _sober_ for a moment and that made things even _scarier_.

"Your Majesty, I do not understand." The human who had been speaking for the Warden said slowly. "What are 'lava tubes'?"

"With your permission, Your Majesty?" Sigrun asked. Bhelen nodded. "In my off time, I have studied quite a bit. Orzammar gets it's heat from molten rock that flows like water. We have all seen it while walking through Orzammar. The red falls." The female dwarven Warden explained slowly and the humans nodded. "Ancient engineers built the city in such a way that the molten rock flowed _around_ it." Bhelen smiled a little at her succinct explanation. "How many tubes total?"

"Ten. The six that are still open are not open fully." Bhelen said softly. Sigrun and Oghren both winced at that and Bhelen nodded. "We have at best a _month_ until the lake of molten rock rises high enough to start pouring into the lower city. Then we will have a _panic_ on top of everything else." All four Wardens looked horrified.

"What can _Reda_ do against a _tide_ of _molten rock_?" Oghren demanded. The other Wardens looked at him and he growled. "Your Majesty." There was precious little respect in his tone.

"By herself? Nothing." Bhelen agreed. "But the engineers who built Orzammar so long ago built in provisions for such calamities. Overflow channels and diversion spots. Backups and safeguards that will work until the tubes can be cleared." The Wardens looked at him and he nodded. "The problem is that the door to the _only_ chamber that _controls_ all that is _sealed_. The controls within are too fragile for us to blast the door and nothing _else_ has any effect. We have tried." He made a face. "For _once_ in my life, I am _cursing_ dwarven engineering."

"So...What _can_ Reda do, Your Majesty?" The human Warden who was apparently the spokesman asked slowly. "She isn't an engineer."

"No." Bhelen agreed. "She has the only known _key_ to the _door_."

* * *

 **Healer's Ward**

Shana stood by the bed. Her mind was whirling. She had only thought to stop Reda and instead? She had hurt the woman. Maybe mortally. She had misjudged her angle. Reda had been trying to evade the attack and Shana had stuck far harder than she had intended. What was worse? Shana had checked and Reda _hadn't_ been reaching for a poison that might have reacted badly to the gas, but for a _gas mask_! Shana knew that everything mortal made mistakes but this one... this one was _bad_.

Asiera, the Sister Superior of the Silent Sisters, had come and they had talked a bit. Well, signed. Shana felt she owed Reda now and the Sister Superior understood that. Shana hadn't known _why_ Bhelen wanted Reda alive and talking. Why he wanted the shield. Now she _did_ and she felt shame from every fiber of her being. She had struck down a being she was sworn to _protect_. Someone who was vital tot eh continued survival of Orzammar. She owed Reda. She-

"Why?" The voice was tiny, soft and hurting. For a moment, Shana couldn't place it, then her eyes went huge as she saw _Reda's_ eyes open and staring at her. They were not focused but she could see.

'I am sorry!' Shana signed desperately. 'I thought you were going for a _poison_! I didn't mean to hit you so hard!' But Reda obviously couldn't see her signing.

"Shana... why...?" Reda begged and then her eyes closed.

 _NO!_ Shana begged silently as Reda fell unconscious again. She spun to the other guard, but that woman was already sounding an alarm. Healers bustled in and started to work. Shana stood back, eyeing them, but not interfering.

"She woke?" Shana froze as the king entered the room, followed by no less than _four_ Grey Wardens! One was the dwarf who had been in the thaig. _None_ of them looked pleased and all looked thunderous on seeing Reda in the shape she was in.

'Only for a moment.' Shana signed and the king nodded. He had to know their sign language to communicate after all. 'I don't think she saw me. She asked me 'Why?' I... I don't have an _answer_.'

"Shana, you did more than anyone could have _asked_." Bhelen said quietly. "If she had pulled a _poison_ instead of her mask, the reaction with the gas _could_ have killed everyone in the _plaza_. I know you blame yourself for what happened, but it isn't entirely on you. Much of it is on _me_. If I had tried harder to get a message to her, she would have helped. I know she would have _despite_ her feelings about me. It was and is who she is." Shana nodded to that. "Healers?" The king asked.

"Her vitals are stronger, Your Majesty." The ranking healer said softly. "We were already testing for toxins, considering all the nastiness she was carrying. But none of the tests we have run show any traces of poison. So... if it _is_ something like that... it isn't anything we know." Bhelen bowed his head and nodded. "If she woke once, she likely will again. But as to how long she _stays_ conscious?" He shrugged.

"Keep me informed." Bhelen said softly and inclined his head to the Wardens. "Would you like to have one of your people stand guard as well?" He asked. " _Not_ Oghren." He amended quickly to smiles from the other Wardens and a shrug from the red haired berserker. "Too much that is breakable and expensive in this ward."

"I will stay." The human who bore sword and shield said with a nod to the other three. "I owe her that much."

"We _all_ do." Sigrun said firmly as she followed Bhelen from the room.

The human Warden took up position opposite Shana who remained impassive as the healers finished what they did and left. This could be a long day.

* * *

 **Five hours later**

"Warden?" Shana jerked out of her half doze as Reda's voice came again.

"I am here, Reda." The Warden moved to her bedside and took Reda's hand in her own. "Stay with us. You are hurt, but you are going to be okay."

"Give me to the Stone, Warden." Shana felt her heart plummet as Reda begged. "I _can't_ go through it again. I can't... handle being _tortured_...again."

"Reda. You are _not_. We won't _allow_ it." The Warden squeezed her hand. "Did you know that the shield of Aeducan is a key?" Reda stared at him, confused. "Reda, it is very important. The entire _city_ is in danger. I know you hate what happened and why. But the whole _city_ , Reda?"

"It is just a shield." Reda complained. "My head hurts."

"The healers will be in shortly, Reda." The Warden reassured her. "But the shield is a key to a room that controls the flow of lava." Reda stared the Warden and then her eyes got a little wider. "The flow is _impeded_. They have to fix that or the flow will..." He broke off as Reda inhaled.

"...start to flood Orzammar with molten rock." Reda said softly. "Burn it all. Send them _all_ to the Stone." She said flatly. "I hate them all."

"Reda!" The Warden exclaimed, shocked. She went still as Shana stepped forward. The Warden shook her head, but Reda's head turned and her eyes went wide as she saw Shana.

'Hate me if you must.' Shana signed slowly and carefully. This time it was obvious that Reda could understand them. "Hate your _brother_ if you must. But little _Sereda_? Do you hate _her_? And _all_ the other children like her?'

"You hit me." Reda said flatly. "Now..." She went still. "Where am I?"

"Before we answer that..."A familiar voice spoke from the side and all eyes turned to where Shaper Fodrik stood at the door. "Sereda Aeducan, the daughter of Edrin Aeducan, is _dead_. She died in the Deep Roads as she swore to. You are _not_ her in the eyes of the law."

"But..." Reda swallowed hard.

" _You_ are Reda the Tunnel Ghost and _that_ is how you will be entered into the Memories." Fodrik said with a nod. "You kept your word, Reda. You did."

"This... I can't..." Reda begged.

"You have a choice here, Lady Reda." Fodrik's voice was gentle, but somehow rock hard at the same time. "You can have your vengeance on Orzammar and let hundreds, maybe thousands of innocent people die. Or you can let it go and get on with your life. Sereda Aeducan is dead. _You_ have a choice."

"Some choice." Reda was crying softly now. "Let Bhelen win again... or let him win again. _Why can't he just leave me alone?_ " This last was screamed.

"Because he was afraid." Reda was hardly the only one who froze as the king of Orzammar entered the room. He had no guards with him. He was unarmored and was carrying Reda's small crossbow. " _Terrified_ actually. You are _scary_ , sis. Let no one say otherwise."

"So now you kill me." Reda demanded.

"No." Bhelen laid the crossbow down on the bed beside her and stepped back. "Shana, this is a _direct order_. 'Do _not_ interfere'." Shana was shaking her head, in disbelief, shock and fear as Bhelen slowly bowed his head. "I need to tell her myself. Then she can choose. Trian would have made an awful king, Ser-..." He paused. "No. _Reda_." He corrected himself grimly. "You would have been better than him, but you were not interested. You were in the way, so I removed you. There was nothing else to it. I never hated you."

"You hurt Gorim!" Reda snapped. "You had Pyral Harrowmont _killed in the street like common criminal_!" She screamed and then wilted.

"I didn't have anything to do with what happed to Saelac. And for Harrowmont? Yes. I did." Bhelen said simply. "And it was a mistake. The Warden recommended that I let him retire with honor and I, being full of myself, refused. I don't remember giving the order, Reda. A lot of that day is a blur. But I _did_. I regret many things, _that_ is high on the list."

"I don't _believe_ you!" Reda seemed to wilt, but her voice if anything, got louder. "If I pick up the bow? What? Drugged? Poisoned? What will you do, mutilate me _more_?"

"No." Bhelen said sadly. "Enough has been done to you already, Reda. This time? _You_ get to choose. Kill me. Or not. Save Orzammar. Or not. None of us have the right to coerce you further."

Reda stared at him and then her eyes narrowed. The, unaccountably, she _laughed_.

" _Who_ is Shayle holding hostage?" Reda asked with a sly grin. Bhelen jerked and she smiled evilly. "Come on, _Your Majesty_. You never had an altruistic thought in your _life_."

The door opened and Shayle stepped in. Edrin and little Sereda were cradled asleep in the golem's arms, but not as if prisoners, as if _comforted_. Rica was right behind Shayle and her face was a mask. Reda stared from them to Bhelen and back, her own face a study of wonder.

" _He_ may not have." Rica said with a glint of steel in her eyes. " _ **Others**_ want what is _right_. You have paid _enough_. We owe you a debt we can never repay. So the _choice_ is _yours_ , Lady Reda."

"Does Orzammar live or die?"


	20. Chapter 20

**New**

Reda stood quietly, just watching as the thaig bustled with activity. For the first time in _hundreds_ of years, Aeducan thaig resounded with the joyous cries of children at play. The kids she had saved had a chance to _be_ kids now. Some had already found new families who had taken them in, others were still waiting and hoping. New homes were being built for those families and more. The sounds of construction resounded. The thaig echoed with _life_. She bowed her head slightly and her companion spoke up.

"Second thoughts?" Shayle asked.

"Second, third and fourth." Reda agreed. Her throat didn't hurt now. The healers had done something more to her throat. They had given an in depth explanation, but the explanation had meant little to her. She wasn't sure _what_ had been done and she wanted to get to _other_ healers that _didn't_ look to her brother as ruler to find out what all had been done. Preferably Felsi. She didn't trust Bhelen as far as she could throw an _Ogre_. But her throat didn't hurt now. "Part of me wishes I could stay, but... I can't."

Her other companion looked a question at her and Reda tried hard not to sigh as Shana signed at her. 'Why not?'

She had tried to leave the Silent Sister behind. It hadn't worked. As soon as she had arrived at Aeducan thaig this morning, the Silent Sister had been waiting for her, a travel pack on her back. Arguing with Shana was like talking to a rock. It didn't _work_. Shana had sworn to repay the life she had nearly stolen from Reda and no amount of arguing made a dent in the Silent Sister's quiet stubbornness. Reda _had_ accepted Shana's apology after the other had explained her actions. Reda _herself_ was horrified by what might have happened if her toxins had reacted to the gas. But still, Shana refused to leave her side and Reda found it very hard to trust.

"You of all people know why not, Shana." Reda said softly as she looked at her belly and Shana's face softened a bit. "I have no _future_. Only the work of my hands. I am not a builder, I am a _destroyer_. It is what I _do_."

'No.' The Silent Sister retorted in gestures. 'You are a _hero_.'

Reda sighed. They had been having this not-quite-an-argument ever since Reda had recovered the shield from where she had hidden it. A place only _she_ knew how to get into in this very thaig. While part of her still burned to kill those responsible for what happened to her eleven years ago and more recently, she had known in her heart even before Rica had given her the choice _what_ she would choose. She could _not_ simply pass by and let non-combatants perish if it was in her ability to help them.

As expected, the shield had opened the door. Whoever had built the door and the room beyond had done their work very well. The passage of time had done _nothing_ to the controls. Less than a week later, the levels of magma had dropped to their normal levels and the city was safe. The shield went into the city's main vault and that part of her past was gone forever.

"If Leske _had_ managed to get the shield..." Reda mused. "Do you think they _would_ have let him become noble?" Shana shrugged but Shayle nodded. "Yeah, me too."

'Survival is kind of important.' Shana signed. 'If he had managed to save the city? Maybe. The Shapers...' Her signs stopped and she made a face.

The Shaperate was in _trouble_. Several high ranking members of the Shaperate had been caught red handed fomenting the unrest in the city. It was still an open question whether they were working for the Carta or vice versa, but what was _not_ in question was that the king was _exceedingly_ unhappy with the Shapers with the notable exception of Shaper Fodrik who was now one of his advisors. Well, actually Lady _Rica's_ advisor, but _that_ was just quibbling. Tensions in the city had vanished almost overnight after Reda had made her sole public declaration that she had no desire nor inclination to rule in any way. The _only_ thing that had kept her in the city after that was that little Sereda hadn't wanted her to _go_. Three years old and _already_ a practiced roller machine, Reda had actually seen _Bhelen_ cave in to her young namesake. The memory brought a fond, sad smile to her face. The others looked at her.

'You can visit.' Shana signed. ' _You_ are not exiled.' Reda fought to hold back another sigh. It would just spark another not-quite-an-argument. Reda still thought of herself as oath-bound no matter _what_ the legists said.

"We are _going_ to argue about that." Reda said firmly. "But not right now. Shayle? You won't come?" The golem shook her head.

"The Grey Wardens have all sensed something odd coming from the surface." The golem said softly. "We have seen rifts forming down here. Which is why you are going." Reda nodded and the golem continued. "I refuse to let my warriors fall under the command of either Orzammar _or_ Kal Sharok. _I_ command them. We will seek these rifts, destroy any demons that we find and mark them for this 'Herald' that you met to deal with when and _as_ she can as well as slaughtering any darkspawn dumb enough to run across us."

"The Legion of the Dead is moving on Bownammar again." Reda said in a neutral tone. "Will you support _them_?"

"Maybe." Shayle's tone ended that particular discussion. She went still as Reda stepped up to her and hugged her stone form tight. "Hey."

"Don't ever _change_ , Shayle." Reda said through tears. "Promise me you won't ever change!"

"I cannot promise that, Reda." Shayle carefully laid her huge hand on Reda's shoulder. "But I _can_ promise you that if I _do_ change, I will be kicking and screaming the whole way. And no matter what comes, Stone-Friend... I _will_ remember you." Reda hugged the golem again and then she released Shayle and stepped back.

"I almost forgot." Reda said softly. "In all the excitement... Just before we were ambushed by assassins. I found something." She pulled something small from a pouch. In form, it was a rock. Until she turned it over. The other side of the rock was studded with crystals. They caught the light of the torches that lit the thaig and glistened. "I saw this and thought of you. Rough stone on one side. Beauty on the other. Like a certain friend of mine."

"I... do not know what to say." Shayle said slowly. "I have nothing for you."

"No? You would have torn Orzammar _down_ for me." Reda said through a throat that was tight from something other than injury or pain. "That counts for _something_."

"I don't like them either." Shayle protested but she did take the stone. "I do not have many friends. People I trust."

"Both of us have been betrayed too often to trust easily, if at all." Reda said quietly. "But if for some insane reason you ever _do_ need the help of a small, squishy, somewhat crazy crossbow dwarf... send word." Shayle stared at Reda for a moment, then nodded. The golem turned and left without another word.

Reda sighed and looked at Shana who looked impassive. "You don't need to come. The surface is _weird_."

'Don't need to tell me that.' Shana retorted in gestures. 'I _lived_ there for five and half weeks.'

"And they call _me_ crazy..."

* * *

Reda and Shana's exit onto the surface was _very_ different form Reda's first trip there. This time, she exited through the main gate at Orzammar to a salute from the captain on guard which she returned, slightly bemused. The Frostback Mountains were different from anywhere Reda had been, but Shana had been this way before. The Silent Sister indicated a path and both women started for it, only to pause as a voice called out to Reda.

"Lady Reda." Both women turned to see an armored form approach. Reda's eyes went narrow as she recognized him. Frandlin Ivo was _not_ one of her favorite people. He nodded to her, acknowledging her ire. "I deserve your anger. Thank you for not killing me today."

"The day is _young_." Reda warned him and he nodded.

"My wife and son appreciate it." Ivo said quietly. Then he straightened. "We do not have a lot of information on this human 'Inquisition'. We _do_ know that their base at Haven was attacked and destroyed."

" _What_?" Reda asked, her face paling. "Who would _dare_? And... survivors?"

"We do not know." Ivo said with a frown that was visible even through his closed faceplate. "What we have discovered is that Shaper Thresk was apparently working with a group that called themselves 'Venatori'. To undermine Orzammar. For what purpose? We have not discovered yet, but we _will_ keep asking." He shook his head. "As I say, information is sketchy, all we have currently is rumors and hearsay. Said rumors and hearsay are...frightening."

Both Reda and Shana went still at that. For Bhelen's captain of the Guard to say _that_...

"How so?" Reda asked flatly. Ivo took a deep breath before continuing.

"According to what we have heard from caravans travelling to our borders, the attack on Haven was led by a darkspawn." Reda's eyes went huge at that and Shana was still. Ivo nodded and continued. "If these rumors are to believed, one of the _original_ darkspawn. The ones that the humans claim tried to enter their Fade."

"Oh shit." Reda said softly and Ivo nodded again.

"Yeah. 'Oh shit' is right." Ivo agreed. "The stories of what happened have to be fanciful. _No one_ can survive a mountain falling on them. But we did manage to find a caravan that is supposed to be heading to someplace called Skyhold."

" _Sky_ hold?" Reda asked dubiously. How could someone _hold_ something that wasn't _there_?

"Yeah." Ivo said dryly. "That is what I said. Makes very little sense to me to. Anyway, they claim that they will be looking for the Inquisition. We have secured you two places."

"Thank the king for me." Reda grated out the words. "I will send word."

"Fare thee well, Lady Reda, Ghost of the Tunnels." Ivo bowed to her and went back towards the massive gates that led to Orzammar.

'You show _far_ more restraint these days.' Shana signed with a smile at Reda who growled at her. 'You _do_. Sereda's influence?'

"Why do I get the feeling this is going to be a very _long_ journey?" Reda asked as she and Shana started towards where they could see pack animals in the distance.

* * *

 **A week of travel later**

It actually wasn't that bad. The downsides were that it was a long way through the mountains and Reda was still not totally sure about the surface. There were moments when she was sure that she would push off the ground and go flying up into the air. Shana never commented on that, thank the Stone.

The caravan had never come this way before. But after three days of careful trekking, a pair of scouts in Inquisition armor had appeared and guided them through long disused pathways. Apparently, the disaster at Haven hadn't destroyed the Inquisition. If anything, from what Reda gleaned from conversations she overheard, it was growing in size and power. They even had a designated leader now. An Inquisitor.

She was plodding beside one of the Brontos when she heard a horse approaching. Then it slowed as it was passing her and stopped.

"Reda?" An incredulous voice had Reda looking up into familiar eyes. Varric looked down at her, wide eyed. "What are you doing in a _trade caravan_?"

"What are _you_ doing on a _horse_ , Varric?" Reda asked the storyteller with a grin.

"Trying not to _fall off_!" The other dwarf said sourly. "Boss says we _all_ need to learn how to ride... Sheesh. I much prefer my feet on the _ground_!" He eyed her and smiled. "You look good."

"Heard about Haven." Reda said softly. "I am sorry."

"Yeah." Varric said with sigh. "Was a mess." His horse fidgeted and he shrugged as he managed his mount. "This is actually one of _my_ caravans, coming to Skyhold for the first time. No one said you were with them." He asked speculatively.

"I have...news." Reda said with a frown. "We have detected rifts forming in places underground." Varric's eyes went huge at that and she nodded. "Not many, _but_..."

"Yeah." Varric blew out a breath and Reda smiled as his horse did the same. The male dwarf grimaced. "Silly animal."

"Could say the same about _you_." Reda said with a grin as Varric groaned at the joke. Then she turned serious. "Have you... figured out why your bow's bolt hit me?"

"Not entirely." Varric admitted. "I...consulted an expert and she said it may be a resonance deal. We need to see if our pools of lyrium are resonating the same way. If they _are_ , then supposedly said energy will attract the energy bolts of the other bow. It is not something we want to _test_ and the one who made the bows is... unavailable."

"If I am going to be _around_ , and it looks like I might..." Reda said with a grimace. "Then I do _not_ want to be around when you are firing your bow. Hurts like hell."

"You are staying?" Varric started his horse off as the Bronto beside Reda did the same. She could see a crest of a hill ahead. The caravan was heading over it.

"The kids are safe." Reda said quietly. "My old life is over. Vengeance won't solve anything. Won't even make me feel better." Varric looked at her and nodded slowly. "I am still angry, but I want to move on."

"Good for you." For once, there was no humor in the storyteller's voice. "We could certainly use you. There is a lot of craziness popping up all over. More since Corypheus came out into the open." HE sighed. "And I thought _regular_ darkspawn were bad."

"I heard about an ancient darkspawn." Reda said quietly. "I hoped it was rumor."

"I _wish_." Varric said fiercely. "A friend and I killed him once. _Really_ killed him. No pulse, blood pooling all over the floor killed him. He didn't _stay_ dead."

"Great." Reda said sourly. "Not just an ancient darkspawn, but an _immortal_ ancient darkspawn?"

"Yeah." Varric agreed just as sourly. "You alone?"

"No." Reda grimaced. "Shana is lurking somewhere nearby. She swore a life debt to me." Varric stared at Reda and then he started to chuckle. "Don't _start!_ "

"Well, then..." Varric said with a smile as they neared the crest. "Welcome to Skyhold."

Reda came to the told of the hill and froze as she saw what lay in a small valley beyond. She had seen Redcliffe castle in the distance in the Hinterlands, but this... This wasn't as large. It wasn't as sprawling. But it seemed...more. Just looking at it, the position was _incredibly_ defensible. It looked almost as impregnable as Orzammar. Anyone trying to attack this place would need magic to even have a _chance_. And if mages were _defending_ it? Ouch.

"Wow." Reda could not tear herself away from the view even as another set of hoofbeats came close and stopped beside her. Another familiar voice sounded.

"I am told the ancient elves called this place something that translates as 'the place where the sky was held back'." Evelyn's voice was just as awed as Reda's. "It has become... a bit of pilgrimage. People have been coming from all over now that we have established ourselves. We need the people to expand, to rebuild, to grow. It is good to see you, Reda."

"Good to see you-" Reda's words choked off as she looked at the human on the horse and saw the woman garbed _very_ differently than before. Her armor and weapons were just as serviceable. But she wore an odd spiked helm that covered her head completely except for a slit to view through. And there was a different crest on her shield. One Reda did not know. Evelyn smiled at her. "Um..."

"Reda, the Tunnel Ghost, I present to you the _Inquisitor_ , commander of the Inquisition." Varric's formal voice held something different now. Not awe. Not reverence. Something. "Leader of the-"

"Varric, just _stop!_ " Evelyn commanded as she slid off her horse to stand in front of Reda who was gaping at her. "It is still _me_ , Reda. Just a bigger job. Fancy title. Same crappy hours wading the filth of Thedas. Living quarters are a little nicer. Reasonable pay." Varric made a strangled noise as Evelyn waved at him irritably. "Hush!"

" _You_ are the Inquisitor." Reda asked, still stunned. Evelyn nodded. "Do I bow or what?"

"You do and I will _hit_ you." There was no humor in Evelyn's voice. "I need _more_ people who question me. I am not infallible. I know this. Others seem to _think_ I am." She slumped a bit and her face was desolate. "If I was... I wouldn't have gotten Hawke killed."

"Evelyn..." Varric said softly. "I hate it, but... You were right. It is what he would have wanted. It was what he always _did_. Try to _fix_ things. I miss him. Always will. Isabella _is_ going to kill us both unless I can spin it that it was Corypheus' fault."

"When she gets here, I will _not_ lie to her." Evelyn said quietly.

"We need you." Reda said firmly. "We have reports of rifts underground. Not many." She qualified when both Evelyn and Varric looked at her, worried. "But where are _some_..."

"...there will be _more_." Evelyn said sourly. "Joy. Are you... better?"

"I am. The kids I was taking care of are safe." Reda said with smile. "As safe as any can be in these turbulent times. I have been told that I am not an exile now. But..." She shook her head. "Ten years of being an exile is not undone in a _week_. Even with _stubborn_ people nagging me." She glared at where Shana was watching from the side, not interfering. The others looked at the silent warrior and nodded. She nodded back.

"You are the _second_ Silent Sister we have seen." Evelyn mused. Shana nodded. "We wondered if she had permission to come. She refuses to answer." Shana just shrugged and Evelyn made a face, but it was humorous. " _Figured_ that would be _your_ answer too." Shana grinned and Evelyn shared it before turning back to Reda. "So, you have come for our help?"

"That and... " Reda paused to order her thoughts before continuing. "I have heard that the Inquisition helps people start fresh." Reda said softly. "All I know is _fighting_. If you can use me, I am yours."

"We can use you." Evelyn said quietly. "Hours are long, pay kinda sucks although we are working on that. The food is being improved too. Enemies will kill you, defile you or _eat_ you depending on who or _what_ they are. We have seen more darkspawn rising in places. More than usual. No sign of an Archdemon, that the _Maker_!" She said fervently.

"Unless Corypheus' _pet_ is one." Varric said darkly.

"I am betting it is not." Evelyn said with a snarl as Reda and Shana both shuddered as one. Blights were no joke at _all_. "Just some kind of enhanced dragon."

"A regular _dragon_ wasn't enough?" Reda asked, eyes wide.

"Not against _us_ apparently." Evelyn said with a grunt. Reda looked at Shana and the Silent Sister nodded. She stepped forward to flank Reda as Reda clasped a hand to her chest. The Silent Sister did likewise.

"We are with you." Reda promised. "Fighting darkspawn is what we _do_. The others? We learn fast." Evelyn smiled as she clasped her own fist to her chest.

"Welcome to the Inquisition."


	21. Chapter 21

**This one is a bit more graphic. DO NOT anger the golem. BAD idea.**

* * *

 **Epilogue**

It was very quiet in the Deep Roads. The darkspawn had been remarkably timid for their kind recently. Shayle couldn't _imagine_ why. She hadn't told Reda about this. About the message that had come for Shayle the day before. No one had ever sent Shayle a message before that she knew of so it had immediately sent danger signals. But... someone had gone to a great deal of trouble to get her attention. So... She figured on showing up for the requested meeting. She did have several warriors shadowing her, just in case.

It came a slight surprise when she arrived at the meeting place and a _single_ dwarf stood there. Spokesman Holiim of Kal Sharok. She checked the area of course. For such a huge form, she could be remarkably stealthy when she wanted to be. Holiim was alone, but there was a large group of dwarves encircling and closing on his position. All of those were armed. So, a trap. It so figured.

She stepped into Holiim's view and his eyes went wide as she looked him over. "What does _it_ want?"

Instead of answering, he raised a small device. Shayle felt amusement as she saw a golem control rod. He smiled evilly, but when he triggered it, nothing happened.

"What?" He stared at the rod and then at Shayle. "No!" He moved as if to flee and Shayle bent down to pick up a rock. He froze.

"Each control rod is _specific_ to a golem." Shayle said quietly, tossing the rock up and down in her hand. "The one that enslaved me was destroyed. Shouldn't trust those used magic device salesmen. You... I _know_ of you. Your name is Holiim." Holiim froze and she continued. "Yes, I know of you." Her smile was a cold, dead thing. "I am so very _pleased_ to make your acquaintance."

"And why is that?" A firm voice asked from the side. Shayle had been aware of the others pausing when the control rod didn't work. But _this_ reaction confused her. The female dwarf carried her weapons professionally. Burt she wasn't hostile. Or even _worried_ with an angry golem standing right there with a rock in hand. "Kalina Gaz. We came to stop him. Not that you seem to _need_ our help."

"I read Reda's journal. Your father protested loud enough that she heard some of it." Shayle said quietly. Kalina nodded. "They censured him." The Paragon of Gaz thaig nodded again. "What now?"

"After Warden Sigrun talked to us, I looked into every record I could find, beg or steal. _Someone_ sent me a copy of Reda's journal. I am not sure who and it doesn't matter. I puked while reading it. More than once. It made me _very_ angry." Gaz said quietly. "Then I did a _lot_ more digging. The little boy that they threw into Reda's cell? I don't think _she_ knew, but her jailers _did_. He was _hers_." Shayle stared at the Paragon and Gaz nodded, her face contorting with rage. "After so many violations, she had a kid. She doesn't remember, thank the _Stone_. Probably due to the various things they drugged her with. _That_ is why they... did what they did to her. So she wouldn't have _another_. They would have killed the little one to cover up their crimes, but they figured they could _use_ him instead." She sounded as if she wanted to spit, instead she bowed her head. "We have earned _your_ wrath and _hers_."

" _You_ were not involved." Shayle said quietly.

"Maybe not." Kalina said sadly. "But I didn't _ask_. I _should_ have. I thought... she was doing it because she was sworn to die in the Deep Roads. Not that she was being _blackmailed_."

"Part of it _was_ that. She is that kind of person." Shayle spun the rock in her hand as Hollim dropped the useless rod and started to sidle away. "Don't try it." She warned him. "I can throw a lot further than you can _run_."

"Kalina!" The male dwarf begged as he froze.

"Shut _up_ , Holiim." The disgust in the female Paragon's tone was palpable. "You are _done_. When my investigation produced results, I took it to the judiciary. First in my thaig. Then in the Assembly." She shook her head. "Most of the ones involved who are still alive -the ones that Reda did not kill when she tried to escape- have been arrested. They will _not_ enjoy their time in prison. I can guarantee _that_."

"What charges?" Shayle asked, curious despite herself.

"If you read the journal, then you know what was done to Reda and I won't repeat it." Kalina looked sick. "But then we add abuse of children and slavery." Now she looked at Holiim. " _Then_ consorting with the Carta and _uncommon stupidity_." Shayle looked at her oddly and Kalina shrugged. "Yeah, we have a law against that. Angering Reda certainly qualifies as that. He sold the Carta information on Reda's patrol paths. So _he_ was the reason she was attacked both times." She sighed. "Such evil must be accounted for."

"You cannot prove any of that!" Holiim blustered.

"We got your Carta contact." Kalina said with a shrug. "She was... most forthcoming when she realized you had _fled_ and left her to _die_. She kept _lots_ of records for potential blackmail. We gave her a cleaner death than she _deserved_. But _you_..." She shook her head again and then spoke formally. "Shayle of House Cadash? There is only _one_ person left loose who was on guard at Reda's cell ten years ago. Who hurt her, many times. Because he _could_." Holiim gave a squeak but Kalina did not look at him. "And _he_ is _yours_."

She turned and _walked away_. The dwarves that had followed her... filed away in her wake. None even looked back even as Holiim started to cry after them to stop. To wait. To come back. They all _ignored_ him.

"Lady Kalina?" Shayle called. The Paragon paused and looked back. "Thank you." The dwarven woman nodded and vanished into the gloom of the Deep Roads. Shayle turned back to Holiim who seemed to be frozen in fear. "Well, well, well..."

Holiim bolted for one of the tunnels and Shayle idly threw the rock she still had in hand. A scream told her that she had hit him, but they continued, so she hadn't _killed_ him.

"You like hurting people?" Shayle asked as she walked up to him where he lay, his right leg bent at an odd angle. "So do _I_. _Especially_ when they are _dumb_ enough to hurt my _friends_."

She took hold of the former spokesman and she was careful. His screams lasted a long, _long_ time.

* * *

That section of the Deep Roads became known as 'Spokesman's Folly' after a humanoid shaped macabre decoration that was found one day _adhered_ to the wall of one of the Roads. It was easy to see from the size that it _had_ been a dwarf, but... The _face_ was sort of recognizable, the _rest_ of the body was ground to a _very_ thin red paste on the wall. All except a _large_ spot where his legs would have met his torso. _That_ was _gone_.

Some wondered if darkspawn had done it. But it seemed...excessive even for the evil brutes. No one from Kal Sharok _ever_ commented. Oh, and the prescribed punishment for nonconsensual intercourse in Kal Sharok was changed shortly afterwards to 'Death by Shale'.

Very, _very_ few dared to tempt that law.

* * *

 **Elsewhere**

'Will he figure it out?'

The communication was silent. The _room_ was silent. No one dared come too close to this hidden sanctuary. For good reason. None of the seven forms in the room were clearly lit but all were too small of stature to be humans.

'I don't know. We need to be ready in case he does. He will _not_ react well.'

'While she was no threat to his succession, he _could_ act contrary to his nature.' The leader of the group was not happy. 'Now?'

'Rica may _yet_ be a stabilizing influence.' Another commented. 'She is not as fragile as she seems and he may focus on her. She is kinder, gentler. She may moderate him. No one can doubt that he _does_ love her and the kids. Not after all _that_.'

'And he did seem willing to die to save Orzammar.'

'You _know_ he had a plan if she shot him. He had his head tilted, and the bolt was tipped with a paralytic, not a neurotoxin. He wouldn't have _died_ even if she shot him in the _eye_.'

"Does he know we subverted the slow acting toxin he dosed her with? So she would die after giving him the shield?'

'No and according to the records we recently 'found' for him, she is _resistant_ to that toxin. Fancy that.'

'He _did_ seem upset when we reported what happened to her. What Kal Sharok did to her.'

'Maybe he was. Maybe he wasn't. It is very hard to tell with him. For now, we continue to act as we were. The Venatori will keep trying. We will do as we always have. We protect Orzammar from any threat, external or internal. The Inquisition may or may not be allies. Pala is there to scout and find out if they could be relied upon. Until we _know_ , we watch and ward. If he discovers that Reda had a son, he _will_ act. If he discovers _we_ subverted his attempt to steal Reda's weapon design or that we hid children with her in defiance of his wishes... he _will_ act.'

'And if he attacks our children?'

There was no answer.

'We _cannot_ fight the _king_.' One of the forms signed desperately.

'No, we cannot. Our oaths forbid it.' The leader signed, the barely visible portion of her face sad. 'If it comes to it, we will try to get them away from Orzammar. Before...' She trailed off as if unable to continue. 'Let us not _borrow_ trouble. We have served for _centuries_ , Sisters. Longer than any of us _knew_ until recently. We will do as we always _have_. But for now? All we can do is continue. And on _that_ note...'

The leader clapped her hands twice and the lights came up in the room, illuminating seven Silent Sisters kneeling in a circle. She rose and opened a door. Another sister walked in, her posture... anxious? But the Sister Superior of the Silent Sisters smiled widely as she returned to her kneeling pose. She signed with a wide smile that the others shared.

'Stone met, Sister. It is _good_ to have you back with us again.'

The newly come Sister folded herself until she was sort of mimicking the other Sisters' kneeling posture. It wasn't easy for her, but she was no stranger to difficult tasks.

'It is good to _be_ back, even clandestinely.' The Sister's signs were odd. Then again, her fingers were not quite dwarf shape anymore. But she persevered as always. She had been a _Silent Sister_ before anything else. 'I do not remember it _all_ but our records are clear. I cannot serve as I once did. I cannot serve Orzammar as I once did. Things have... changed. But I _can_ assist the Order slightly more openly than I have for the last six years. And I _will_.' All of the assembled sister nodded at that.

'Reda never suspected?' The Sister Superior asked in gestures.

'I do not know.' The newly returned Sister signed. 'If she _did_ , she never said. It never impacted her desires or duties, so I don't think it mattered to her. She knew I had secrets.'

'But truly?' _Shayle of House Cadash_ signed with a small smile. 'She had _no_ idea.'


End file.
